LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 




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CHRISTIANITY 



PLACED UPON 



ITS OWNPEIIS^CIPLES, 



THE BEST \1EAN8 OF PROMOTING 



CIVILIZATION, RELIGION AND HAPPINESS, 



OR COUNSEL TO THE OPPRESSED. 



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BY SAMUEL EVANS. 




FOE SALE AT No. 19 ANN STEEET, Second Floor, 

PEICE. 25 CTS, 



S)S"-^''^^)S'tg:)S'tg>s=^:>9S^^=^>s=-(^°^fi;)9=ig> 




CHRIS TIA.NITY 



PLACED UPON 



ITS OWN PRINCIPLES; 



THE BP]ST MEANS OF PROMOTING 



CIVILIZATION, RELIGION AND HAPPINESS 



OR COUNSEL TO THE OPPRESSED. 



^ By SAMUEL EVANS. 



For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise ; fiaith tlie 
Lord.-— Psalms, xii, 6. 

For I must speak what wisdom would conceal, 

And truth invidious to the great reveal. 

Bold is the task when subjects grow too wise 

To instruct the Monarch where his error lies.— Pope's Homer. 



I ^ < > ^ > 



New- York : 
j. huggins, printer, 424 broadway. 









Entered, according to act of Congress, in the year of our Lord one thousan* 

eight hundred and sixty-three, by 

SAMUEL EVANS, 

in the Clerk's Office, of the District Court of the United States for the 

Southern District of New York. 



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1 



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INTRODUCTION 



That the economy of religion contained in the scriptures is 
of God, none but the misguided or the ill-informed will presume to 
deny ; every well informed mind will readily admit, that whenever 
the human family shall submit and reduce to practice the teach- 
ings of the Bible, a most extraordinary improvement will imme- 
diately ensue in the character and condition of man. This globe, 
which to such a large extent, is allowed to remain an unsightly 
wilderness, would soon be transformed into the abode of resplend- 
ant beauty and fruitfulness ; the race ofmen would be greatly mul- 
tiplied ; human life would be'materially lengthened, all the grievous 
evils which now afflict society would be removed, men would learn 
the wisdom of dwelling together in peace, harmony and mutual af- 
fection, and the race which now bears such a strong resem- 
blance to wild beasts and demons, would soon show a moral re- 
semblance to angels and God, and all Adam^s family would soon 
become wise, virtuous and happy. 

But when and by what means shall this happy consummation be 
brought about ? Christianity, which is God^s last and only rem- 
edy for a sin-afflicted race, has been in the world 1800 years, and 
its perfect adaptation to all the wants of humanity are abundant- 
ly proved by all the vast multitude of every age and country 
who have submitted to its Divine requirements. But up to this 
day by far the largest portion of mankind either make a false pro- 
fession of it or openly reject it, and are trying to content them- 
selves, in- living without hope and without God, and it remains a 



inatter of doubt and -uncertainty in the mind of the true Christian 
philanthropist whether the gospel is gaining* on the world or the 
world gaining on the gospel, and this painful perplexity is greatly 
enhanced by the reflection that there does not appear to be any 
church or Christian organization now on earth at all likely to ex- 
tend the benign influence of Christianity through the entire 
family of man in any given number of years. No man whose 
opinions are entitled to respect will say there ^^ the slightest 
proability of the churches of Greece, Rome or England succeed- 
ing in converting the world to Christianity, and even suppose 
this could be regarded probable, the question comes up, in 
case these converts were no better in a moral and religious 
sense than the generality of the so-called Christians of these 
three denominations, how much wiser or better would the race of 
man be for such a conversion? if none of these aiicient branches 
of the church are at all likely to accomplish the evident design of 
the Almighty in estab ishing a church on earth, can anybody sup- 
pose that any branch of the Protestant church, either the Presby- 
terian, the Methodist, Baptist or any of the smaller denominations 
in all Christendom can convert the world through any period of the 
remote future. I am devoutly thankful that great reformations have 
been effected, and that 'the standard of truth, piety and morality 
have been materially advanced under many forms of Protestant- 
ism, but if we analyze even Protestant Christianity by the Holy 
Scriptures, by which alone it can be properly estimated, it will 
appear truly lamentable how little has been accomplished towards 
the conversion of the world. And why ? Evidently because 
Protestantism has never protested loud enough, or long enough, 
or wisely and distinctively enough against many of the worst 
evils of Popery. For Protestantism has never carried out those 
reforms in religion and in the social economy of human life, that 
its original founders intended, or that the genius of Christianity 
and the suirit and word of God evidently demanded. 



Pi'otestantism is a kind of lialf-way hou^se between Eomanism 
and the sublime and holy religion of Jesus Christ, and which the 
Holy Ghost waits to produce in the mind and in the life of every 
sincere seeker of salvation. It is to this half-way house that Eo- 
manism is indebted to this day for her very life and existence. 
For from this house she receives more to succor and sustain her 
than from all her pretended authority from antiquity and tradition. 
This half-way house has tolerated the iniquitous circumvention 
of trade and commerce and the hypocrisy of learning to absorb 
th^ fruits of the poor man^s labor, and as a consequence, two 
extremes are produced in society, the one very poor and the 
other very rich ; and from these two extremes a large por- 
tion of all the vice and misery in the world proceeds. In this 
house men are allowed to live in costly luxury at the expense of 
other men's industry, utterly regardless of the poverty and 
misery around them. In this house that imposture sailed ordi- 
nation is allowed, in which mere uninspired men presume to 
place their hands upon the head of a candidate for the ministry 
and say, ^' receive thou power and authority to preach the gospel." 
In this house young men and mere boys buy up and silence 
nearly all the talent of usefulness of the church, by the impolicy 
of one pastor to one congregation. In this house (because 
forsooth Jesus Christ ordained that apostles and evangelists 
whose business it was to travel long journeys through all 
lands to propagate the gospel, should be sustained without 
that labor their circumstances did not allow them to perform,) 
ministers located in one place and therefore capable of working 
for an honest living, are allowed to receive many hundreds, and 
in some instances many thousands of dollars annually, for preach- 
ing the gospel. In this house the most incongruous doctrine's are 
proclaimed as the truths of the Bible ; and in this house vast 
multitudes too indolent or too careless to examine truth for 



themselves, will! .g-Iy subiini lu ..v; lud by men made vain and 
foolish by having been for months and years, at the feet of some 
professor as vain and foolish as themselves. 

Elsewhere in this pamphlet I have given some counsel as to the. 
best principles of church organization, but if any one would ask 
me what disposition is best to be made of the existing Protcr 1- 
ant churches, I would say by all means let them alone, do not 
perform any act which would create disquietude or discontent in 
any mind. I would advise all earnest inquirers after truth : try 
as much as you can ; forget both Romanism and Protestantism, 
and commence reading your Bible without note or comment, in 
the spirit of earnest prayer, and with a firm resolve to reduce 
all its teachings to practice ; make it your business to form a 
church or Christian organization of men actuated by the same holy 
resolve as yourself. But never trouble about Catholics or Pro- 
testants, only as they come in your path or under your ministry, 
"^"^our good speed and the result of your labor under the blessing 
of God, will induce multitudes to follow your example, and the 
world will soon be converted. 



CHAPTER I. 

If a new race of intelligent creatures were to spring into ex- 
istence, endowed with all the moral, mental, and physical capa- 
cities and proclivities of man in his best and most perfect con- 
dition, and should the question be proposed, what is the best 
means of securing to them the highest state of perfection and 
happiness of which they are capable ? a wiser or better reply 
could not be made than to say, ^^ prevail upon them to allow 
themselves, in all relations and under all circumstances, to be 
directed, controled and governed by the infallible teachings of 
the Holy Scriptures.'^ 

If some bad creature could obtain permission to demoralize 
and ruin this race, he could not do anything as sure to accom- 
plish so malignant a purpose as to act upon the following prin- 
ciples, which have been so long and successfully tried in work- 
ing out to such a vast extent, the demoralization and misery of 
the human family. 

In the first place, use suitable means to induce these intelli- 
gencies to discredit and ignore the truths of the Bible as a reve- 
lation from God ; then, corrupt the fountain of their thoughts, 
affections and desires by the fascinating glitter of material ob- 
jects, and thereby divert their minds from finding supreme hap- 
piness in love to the Divine Creator. 

The next thing to be attempted in this meditated ruin, would 
be to permit as large a number as the case required, to violate 
that important law of revelation, and that necessity of man's 
being, which renders it incumbent on all men to work with their 
own hands for an honest living ; in the next place, allow these 
neglecters of a plain duty, to commence a course of deep schem- 



6 

Big by which wealth, and all the blandishments which wealth 
can purchase, would be concentrated in the possession of the 
indolent non-producers ; an improper and unnatural share of 
hard toil, combined with all the evils of pinching poverty would 
then be the lot of virtuous industry ; and pride, luxury and vice 
would be the reward of that portion of the race who had contri- 
ved to get their shoulders from under the burden of manual 
labor ; in other words, tolerate these non-producers of society 
in becoming gamblers, tricksters, theatricals, sportsmen, com- 
pounders and venders of strong drinks, &c. ; allow the idlers of 
this race, moreover, (by the tolerance and ignorance of the 
working classes, without whose permission they could not exist) 
to become lawyers, doctors, politicians, civil rulers, fraudulent 
manufacturers and merchants, &c., and allow all these the ordi- 
nary privileges, immunities and perquisites usually enjoyed by 
such in the present condition of human society; and if the devil 
himself could be vile enough to desire any more effective instru- 
mentality for the overthrow of the race ; all that a capacious 
minded demon could possibly wish for would be to counsel — 
"that the wealth, of which virtuous industry had been circum- 
vented, should be employed in building and sustaining universi- 
ties and seminaries, to which the youths of the non-producing 
concentrators of wealth may repair, and receive what is called 
a finished education ; then invest these schools with the exclu- 
sive privilege of giving diplomas or certificates of learning, by 
which one portion of these young students shall be legalized as 
fit and proper persons to expound the law, and adjust grievances 
between man and man, — and by which a second portion of them 
shall prescribe medicine for the sick, and all shall be signally 
aided in worming themselves into every situation of honor and 
emolument under the civil government, and at once a state of 
society would exist strikingly set forth, by the pen of inspiration, 
and in language embodying an infinitude of meaning. ''This 



was the iniquity of tliy sister So(l(.)jn, pride, fullness of bread and 
abundance (^f idleness was in her, neither did she strengthen the 
hands of llie poor and needy." " Ill-fated state, to ill, declines," 
'* Where vile men grow rich, and the virtuous poor decline." 

Apply this to iiumau society, and could it be supposed that 
malignity was not satisiied with the ruin of man^s best hopes 
pertaining to this life ; but extended even to his spiritual and 
eternal destiny, nothing could so eifectually secure this object ; 
as to counsel a perfect and entire disregard to the teachings of 
the Bible relative to what is the true scriptural character and 
constitution of a gospel ministry : and allow the sons of these 
money concentrators to become ministers of religion, inexperi- 
enced and uncalled of God, or his church, with no better qualifi- 
cation than simply that they want an easy, comfortable living ; 
and because that they have been at college some months or years, 
and have learned the derivation and meaning of a number of terms, 
and how to accent according to rule. Moreover, they have be- 
come slightly acquainted with two or three languages ; acquired 
some knowledge of correct, and beautiful literary composition ; 
know how to read sermons and prayers v/ith becoming attitude 
and grace of action ; (beautiful qualifications for a man whose 
vocation is to warn sinners to flee from the wrath to come ! ) 
allow them to put a glossy interpretation upon those texts of 
scripture which refer to that kind of remuneration a minister is 
to receive for preaching the gospel : and because it is said '^ the 
laborer is worthy of his hire," (without asking, what is the kind 
of hire referred to — ^to whom and under what circumstances is 
it to be given ? ) argue that a minister is entitled to as many 
hundreds or even thousands per annum as he can prevail upon 
the people to give. 

In the next place, allow some pope, cardinal, bishop ; some 
'dear pastor, priest or presbytery to perform what is called ordi- 
nation ; (about the proper right of which the learned clergy 



8 

have been vainly and most foolishly contending for centuries,) 
allow some of these to lay their hands upon their heads, 'and use 
language which can only be regarded, by intelligent piety, as a 
most offensive profanation: when they say, '^receive thou au- 
thority to preach the gospel and administer the sacrament to this 
congregation." Then regard these dear young gentlemen as eli- 
gible, not only to preach the gospel, but to consecrate bread and 
wine into a sacrament, and administer it to the people, even to 
men venerable for age and virtue. And the most effectual means 
is established to prevent any but those so called pastors (made 
by men) from preaching the gospel; by these means all the piety, 
intelligence, deep personal experience, disinterested love, burn- 
ing zeal, and all natural and acquired talents, however valuable, 
which may exist in the church, are entirely precluded from 
preaching the gospel. 

Surely the world's history may be sought in vain for inconsis- 
tency and folly so great ; surel}'' no enemy of Christ and true 
religion could ever adopt measures half so likely to prevent the 
spread and promotion of religion, as those church authorities 
have manufactured out of their own foolish heads or wicked 
hearts. 

The above is a general outline of the mode in which men, and 
even mere boys, are initiated into the ministry — not only amongst 
the Roman Catholics, but almost all the Protestant churches. 

However, allow these dear young pastors matrimony as favor- 
able and as early as possible, and give them each the entire and 
exclusive charge of a congregation, and a minister is made ; but 
the work of spiritual barrenness and death is sure to be entailed 
upon the unhappy church and congregation of such a minister. 
I would appeal to any intelligent Christian, who may be deeply 
and piously concerned for the promotion of Christianity, to com- 
pare the efficiency and the ability of the gospel ministry of any, 
or all sections of the church at the present day, with the ministry 



evidently raised up by the Holy Ghost in the best state of the 
Jewish and Christian churches : or compare it with the ministry 
of the ancient Waldenses, or that of the primitive Quakers, — or, 
particularlyj with that ministry raised up under the auspices of 
the venerable John Wesley. Every person who will investigate 
this subject can only say with me, there is no reformation in so- 
ciety so much needed, as a reformation in the mode of selecting 
and constituting ministers of religion. Surely, if saints and an- 
gels can weep in heaven, or if demons can laugh and be jubilant 
in liell, on account of anything done on earth, in either case it 
must be over the lamentable condition of the so-called gospel min- 
istry. 

Whenever the slumbering intellect of man shall fully awake 
from that sleep to which it has been consigned for long ages, by 
the worst passions of bad men, it will be as clear as noon-day, 
that one of the greatest of all demoralizers under which the in- 
dustrious poor suffer and groan, is a most iniquitous and villain- 
ous commerce . I use the term as comprehending all manufac- 
turing, whether of food or clothing, together with all buying and 
selling, conducted upon principles of extortion and fraud : and 
when and where the profits of commerce are not laid out, with 
singleness of purpose, to promote the glory of God in benefiting 
and blessing the poor and needy. Equitable commerce, that is, 
commerce connected with labor, and which properly estimates 
and rewards labor, is of God^s appointment, and is wonderfully 
calculated to unite men together in the bonds of mutual respect 
and love, and by the assistance of religious principles, to develop 
every virtuous quality which can make man happy. But com- 
merce, more than any other thing, is perverted from its legitimate 
use. Commerce, as carried on in these modern times, is a great 
concentrator of wealth, without right ; it most unrighteously and 
inhumanly curtails the poor man's wages ; allures the innocent 
from the path of virtue ; builds and sustains theatres, gambling 



10 

houses, gilded saloons for dissipation, drunkenness, and every 
infamous pursuit. It invents costly and foolish fashions, and 
incites the poor to adopt them, thereby incurring debts they have 
not the means to pay. It robs the friendless of their rights, and 
is the main cause of the orphan^s cry and widows^ tears. C( m- 
merce is a vain, daring and relentless despiser of the Divine law; 
a desecrator of the Sabbath ; a contumacious rejecter of all true 
religion ; a daring profaner of the name and being of God. " It 
proudly stalks abroad through the earth, and concerning oppres- 
sion, it speaks loftily,'' and says, " how doth God know ? is there 
knowledge in the Most High?" (Ps. 73.) Numbers of the best 
portion of commercial men, it is true, pay some deferential re- 
gard to religion, and associate themselves with the church ; but 
even here their conduct, spirit and example has a most baneful 
effect ; for they are the main causes of building churches, and of 
conducting Divine worship upon principles which prevent the 
humble poor from attending the worship of God ; they greatly 
mar and profane the service of the sanctuary, by introducing 
irreligious, hireling musicians and singers ; by these and various 
other means, causing Divine worship to resemble theatrical per- 
formances, to the great disgust of all genuine piety. They are 
the men who are the main cause of a feeble and inefficient minis- 
try, because they uniformly reject faithful men of God, who are 
ever disposed to describe and rebuke their conduct. Eich men 
will not allow any to preach the gospel to them, but smooth 
tongued flatterers, who will style them merchant princes, and. 
will permit them to hold their connection with the church while 
they live after their own imaginations, and after the desire of 
their own eyes. Nay, their minister is expected to explain the 
possibility of men concentrating wealth by other means than by 
honest industry ; and possessing at the same time, the inestima- 
ble benefits and blessings of true religion. They, moreover, ex- 
pect their minister to recognize and acknowledge the favorable 



11 

hand of the Divine Being in the circumstances of their wealth 
and distinction ; as if Providence had any more to do with 
their becoming rich, than Providence had to do with the man 
without a dollar yesterday, but who to-day possesses thousands, 
extracted from men more honest, but less acute than himself. 
The example of these rich men is most pernicious upon all coming 
in contact with them, for whereas they are usually looked up to, 
as patterns and standards of virtue and goodness, they are only 
like guides and finger-posts, placed by malignity, in a strange 
land, to point in a wrong direction ; they go not in the right way 
themselves, and those wishful to do so they turn out of the way. 
Eich men are the main cause of the largest portion of the poverty, 
wretchedness, and demoralisation in the world. No wonder that 
rich men should be so uniformly and terribly denounced by all 
the inspired writers. 

Another most oppressive and grievous evil, under which the 
industrial classes suffer, consists in the effects produced by semi- 
naries and universities of learning, which are established and 
sustained by men who have concentrated wealth by dealing in 
honest men's labor. 

In remote ages of the world, under the simplest and best forms 
of civil government — such, for instance, as the best portions of 
the history of the Jewish nation — ^honest physical labor was the 
common and almost universal condition of man ; in those days, 
and in those countries, where men were only allowed to live upon 
the labor of their own hands, all matters of dissension, and ques- 
tions of right and wrong, were referred to the judgment and de- 
cision of men venerably distinguished for wisdom, virtue and 
goodness ; these were the judges and representatives of the peo- 
ple, who sat in public places, and administered justice from mo- 
tives of patriotism and good will. Under the same circumstan- 
ces men had no more occasion for hireling doctors, than they had 
for proliissional hireling lawyers ; the study of the healing art, 



12 

was made the business of all, because all were liable to sickness 
and premature death, and those whom the God of nature had 
more particularly endowed with a knowledge of the human frame, 
and of the art of healing, studied the medical science with the 
intention of benefiting their fellow creatures. Hence the science 
of medicine, as well as law, was generally much better under- 
stood than it is at the present time ; for if a man had to say, ^^ I 
am sick," there were numbers of free, willing physicians to say, 
here, take this, that, or the other root, leaf , plant, herb or mineral, 
and be healed. And as regards civil government, men of age, 
combined with experience, virtue, honor, and all other suitable 
qualities, were, by the voice of the people, and the direction of 
an over-ruling Providence, called to administer all state affairs. 

And those who taught religion did it after the example of the 
genuine Jewish prophets — Christ and his apostles, namely, from 
a principle of love to God and to the souls of men, with as little 
desire of pecuniary reward as the angels in heaven, who cheer- 
fully, constantly, and freely run, or rather fly the errands of Di- 
vine goodness and love. But when the vile and the worthless 
renounced physical labor, and commenced, with lying lips, to buy 
and sell the labor of others, wealth accumulated m their hands 
much faster than it did by hard physical toil, the demon of pride 
and ambition took up his abode in their hearts, with nvarice and 
every bad propensity,, and the vain desire was soon conceived, 
and willingly cherished, let us have seminaries to which we can 
send our children to receive a finished education, that our chil- 
dren may be as much distinguished for learning, as we are for 
wealth and grandeur. Now, doubtless, all useful learning is di- 
vine, and considering the great benefits it confers, no man who 
deserves a place out of a lunatic asylum, will ever utter one 
word of disparagement ; but the question is open and debateable 
whether those learned institutions have, in reality, promoted sci- 
ence and sound learning. I am far from being alone in suppos- 



13 

ing" that if these schools had allowed the study of what are now 
termed the learned professions to remain where they found them, 
namely, with the virtuous, the wise, and the good, of mankind, 
sound learning would probably have been far in advance of what 
it now is. For, can any sensible man believe that the entire legal 
profession have, upon the whole, done anything to promote the 
ends of justice, and to lead men to dwell together in peace, concord 
and love. Nay, have not law men proved themselves to be most 
unprincipled, by fomenting the bad passions of men against each 
other, and cheating their clients, to enrich themselves. Can any 
person believe that the medical profession have not inflicted more 
pain and sickness than they have produced ease, comfort and 
health? Who could enumerate (I need not say the thousands, 
but) the millions these learned gentlemen have bled to death, 
physicked to death, fed to death, hungered to death, bathed to 
death, vomited to death, cold watered to death, poisoned to death? 
some in ignorance, and some for money, and other vile motives. 
Who does not know that unless some recent improvement has 
been made, (taking an historic view of the past,) that the science 
of to-day, is the dull, stupid, murderous ignorance of to-morrow ? 
Nay, who does not know that the most skillful of the medical 
profession rarely give their own families any of the poisonous 
stuff they constantly administer to others. 

My limits prevent me saying a word about the politicians and 
civil rulers, who, to such a large extent, have been wormed into 
official situations by the influence of the schools ; but who can 
read the history of the world and not say the folly and baseness 
of their course of action is not more painful than death, and 
blacker than hell itself ? But the race of working men might 
forgive those learned institutions, for all the black crimes they 
have committed against them, were it not that they have most 
foolishly, presumptuously and impiously undertaken to educate 
men for the Christian ministry, — and not only educate for it, but 



14 

they have eflectually used their influence to put their dear young 
pupils into the ministry. 

I remember a pious minister who used to say '* that the devil 
took his ease and slept a great part of his time, for all the long 
centuries the church allowed ministers of the gospel to be sup- 
plied so largely from seminaries of learning ; but when John 
Wesley allowed both men and women of good understanding and 
sound piety, who were called of God, to preach the gospel freely, 
and work for an honest living at the same time, he awoke in a 
dreadful raging alarm, and never slept sound any more, till the 
Methodists established what they pleased to call ''Bible Institu- 
tions, '^ '^ Universities," &c., for training ministers ; but now, 
seeing these institutions had become so general, and seeing they 
had connected with them large salaries for ministers, he had 
again betaken himself to ease and sleep, being well aware all 
possible evil would grow and prevail so long as those learned 
institutions were tolerated by the church." I would request the 
serious reader to ask himself, if he can suppose for a moment, 
that there would have been such an endless diversity of con- 
flicting opinions in the professing church, if men of a worldly 
spirit had not first demanded money for preaching the gospel, 
which was the main cause of establishing schools, so admirably 
calculated to minister to the pride and aggrandisement of the 
clergy, and at the same time to ruin the cause of true religion. 
Can any serious, intelligent man suppose that if these schools 
had not existed there v/ould have been any such sect as the 
"Universalists" or '* Unitarians" with an endless variety of other 
sects, equally absurd and unscriptural ? Or can we suppose if 
these learned school-men had not taken upon them to teach re- 
ligion, that at this day a large portion of the Christian church 
would have been afflicted with almost an endless number of 
foolish, unmeaning ceremonies and sacraments of mere human 
Invention ; or should we have seen in the open day, big bo^c? 



15 

and full-grown men walking the streets in long floundering fem- 
inine apparel ; should we at this day have had a church govern- 
ed by bishops, who, without authority from God or the Bible, and 
who, avowedly, without the gift of the Holy Ghost, themselves 
place their hands upon the head of a candidate for the ministry 
and say, " Receive thou authority to preach the Gospel V^ Can 
we suppose if these schools for ministers had never been estab- 
lished there would have been ecclesiastical laws to prohibit 
ministers from laboring with their own hands for an honest liveli- 
hood ? (why the world knows honest industry is one of the 
greatest promoters of virtue and happiness, and that idleness 
is a promoter of immorality and vice ; and all sensible men 
called of God to preach the gospel know that the experience and 
practice of religion accompanied with the spirit of God, can 
enable even plain, uneducated men to preach the ever blessed 
gospel of God.) Or who can suppose that had these institutions 
never existed, that more than one-half of all the pulpits in 
Christendom, Protestant and Catholic, are occupied by young 
men and even boys, and then these mere children in Divine 
knowledge and human experience, are, sabbath by sabbath, 
exhibiting to their worse than stupid congregation, the dry 
bones exhumed for them by their tutors and professors from the 
dusty graves of school-men ; and only think that in connection 
with all this. Catholics are abusing Protestants and Protestants 
abusing Catholics as to which is anti-Christ, as if they did not 
comprehend that all spurious Christianity was anti-Christ. Or 
had it not been for these schools, should we have such largo 
numbers of the church membership as ignorant of, and as dead 
to vital Christianity as the inhabitants of the grave ? I know 
it may be said that many of the most eminent ministers have 
come from these colleges, but these colleges did not make one 
of them eminent, and the church would have been blessed with 
all these and a very large number of others equally eminent, 



16 

without one of these schools ; and at the same time been ro- 
lieved of large numbers of inefficient and unworthy ministers. 
Eminent ministers become such by the practice and experience 
of Christianity, and by the ardent study for, and active labor in 
the ministry. But it is said, without these institutions we could 
not have an intelligent ministry, but the very reverse is the 
truth of the position, for no ministry is so intelligent as that 
which applies itself to the acquisition of knowledge from a 
principle of burning love to the souls of men. Moreover, who 
ever heard one sentiment advanced by any of those learned 
scholastics pertaining to history, philosophy, theology, or in 
fact, any other science, that was not accessible to all men of 
ordinary capacity and research ? But it is said those institutions 
are promoters of elegance and refinement in dress and manners 
in all countries where they exist. But who does not know that 
the devil, himself, of all creatures, is the most elegant, refined, 
genteel and bland in his demeanor, and when he puts on his holi- 
day dress, he is always seen in the finest broadcloth, cut in a 
style in which judgment is combined with taste, to make him 
neat and attractive. 

I know well those institutions are most impressively os- 
tensible as to the great and invaluable benefits they confer. But 
I know also as far as the industrious poor are concerned, their 
eilect upon society has been well illustrated by the father of 
fables '* who tells of a monkey overtaking two cats quarreling 
about a lump of cheese — the monkey intruded by saying he had 
a pair of scales with him, and by their permission he would di- 
vide the subject of dispute into two equal parts, but the cats 
soon discovered piece after piece first eaten out of one end of the 
scale, and then, out of the other, till there remained little likeli- 
hood of much remaining for them, when they agreed to request 
to take the cheese just as it was. But the monkey replied that 
a certain portion of all adjudicated property always belonged to 



IT 

those who administered justice in all civilized states, and thuB 
saying", he, in courtly style, walked off with the cheese." Just 
so those institutions, so long as they exist upon their present 
principles, feast and aggrandize themselves out of the industry 
of the virtuous poor. Surely if the angel of the Lord would say 
"curse ye Meroz. curse ye bitterly, curse the inhabitants thereof, 
because they came not up to the help of the Lord against the 
enemies of Israel,'' what must he say against those proud, in- 
dolent, non-producing oppressors of honest men. 

The purport of the following pages is to point out the best 
means to be employed In order that the fruit of labor may remain 
in the possession of its legitimate owners, and by them be em- 
ployed in emancipating honest industry from the ignorance, pov- 
erty, and wretchedness the proud oppressors of mankind have 
subjected it to. When this shall be realized, the inevitable con- 
sequence will be, the indolent non-producers will have to provide 
for themselves. They will then apply science and learning to 
Wirect labor, to procure an honest livelihood. This waste, howl- 
ing wilderness of a wicked world, will then soon be transformed 
into a fruitful field, and ^' glory to God in the highest, peace on 
earth, and good will to men/' would universally prevail 



18 



CHAPTER H. 

Every sensible man must be convinced, that the condition of 
working men is not what the Supreme Creator designed it should : 
be ! Labor, as is well known, is the source of all wealth, and is 
designed to contribute to man^s temporal, moral and spiritual 
well-being ; but, in consequence of the misappropriation and un- 
equal division of labor and its fruits, the whole foundation of the • 
social compact is out of joint. 

Under Divine inspiration, Moses inaugurated a system of gov- 
ernment, wisely calculated to equalize the burthen of labor, and 
to secure to every man the fruit of his own industry, and to ren-* 
der physical labor the obligation and privilege of all men in com- 
mon ; priest and Levite, judge and governor, *as well as the I 
masses of the people, were all bound to labor with their own 
hands ; a condition well expressed by Goldsmith : 

'- There was a time, ere England's woe began, 
When every rood of land maintained its working man." 

But there is a wicked principle, doubtless spawned in hell, but ' 
readily adopted by avaricious, worldly men, endorsed and sanc- 
tioned by lawyers, doctors, politicians, merchants, manufacturers, 
(and truth compels me to add,) not a few of the pastors of all 
denominations. That principle is, " buy in the cheapest, and sell 
in the dearest market," regard poor men's labor as an article of 
commerce, use a little refined lying at both ends of the bargain ; 
in other words, to view this principle in the abstract, it is well 
expressed in the following lines : 

'' He that would live, and laugh while here, 
Must coquette and scheme one half the year: 
He that while here v/ould live and laiipjh, 
Must cov-^uette and scheme the other haif." 



19 

I would request the thouglitful working man to inquire seri- • 
ously and intellig-ently, why it is that you build mansions for the « 
rich to live in, whilst your abode is a damp cellar or a cold gar- 
ret ? How is it that you enclose, lay out, beautify and render 
fruitful large tracts of the richest land, whilst you do not inherit 
as much as to put your foot on ? How is it that your industry 
produces costly furniture for the mansions of the rich, scarlet and 
fine linen for their persons, whilst your dwellings are poverty- 
stricken and wretched, and your clothing coarse and unsightly ? 
How is it that they " fare sumptuously every day, and have the 
harp and the viol, the tabret and the pipe ; and wine in their 
feasts, and in their mad folly they regard not the work of the 
Lord," (Isaiah 5c. 12v.) whilst you, your wife and children oft 
times have to sigh, and shed tears over a poor, scanty meal ? 
How is it that they lay up gold as dust, but you have not one 
shilling ? How is it that they can leave an inheritance to their 
families when they die, but you (who, upon an average calcula- 
tion, go to your grave full seventeen years before your natural 
time, in consequence of too much labor and too little food,) can 
only consign your family to the cold charity of the world, or to a 
miserable alms-house ? Ho w does it come to pass that their al- 
most demoniac pride leads them to scorn and disdain the very 
persons and company of yourself, your wife and children ? Your 
children must not even play or associate with theirs, your sons 
or daughters must not be allowed to marry theirs, however strong 
the affection may be. Nay, you must not sit in the same pew, 
even in the house of God ; and could they avoid it, they would 
not allow their dust to mingle in the same earth. Do not say 
that this grievous evil is the result of the ordination and special 
arrangement of the Supreme Governor or the Universe. By no 
means. It cannot be. Do not say that it is because the rich 
are wiser or more virtuous ; by no means, for though it must be 
admitted some few good men possess wealth, generally they are 



p 



20 

more wicked and immoral than the industrious classes ; nor is 
the great contrast between the estates of the rich and the poor 
the result of dissipation or neglect on the one part, or a thrifti- 
ness on the other. Doubtless this may be the case in solitary 
instances, bat the general and almost universal cause is to be 
found in sources of a very different character. 

If the working man should request me to reply to the above 
Inquiries, I should say near all your poverty and wretchedness 
is caused by your having allowed the indolent and unproducing 
classes, like as many foxes or wolves, to buy in the cheapest and 
to sell in the dearest market, whilst you, with the innocence of 
sheep, and the stupidity of mules, have sold all you had to sell 
(your labor) in the cheap, and bought in the dear market. 

You may consult any of the best-informed political economists ; 
you may investigate this question with your utmost capacity, 
and you can only arrive at the conclusion that it is in conse- 
quence of the cupidity of the proud concentrators of wealth on 
the one hand, and stupidity of the industrious poor on the other, 
which has produced the present unequal and unhappy state of 
society, a condition in which the fruits of honest labor instead of 
remaining in the possession of the rightful owners, is, as it were, 
whirled up in the air to be scrambled for by the vile and un- 
worthy, and into whose hands by far the largest portion falls. 
** A condition where we mortals all, strive to rise by each other's 
fall •/' for whereas men were created to dwell together in peace, 
concord and mutual affection, society is best compared to a col- 
ony of wild animals preying upon and devouring each other. 

In presuming to offer some advice upon this subject, which I 
trust may be of some service even to future generations, it is 
not my intention to lecture upon the best course to be pursued to 
become great and wealthy ; for even if that were a condition to 
be desired, many of yourselves are quick to learn, and you have 



21 

only to follow the example of concentrators of wealth, generally;^ 
and the same result will follow. 

My object is to point out the best course to avoid the iron hand 
of oppression and how to acquire a moderate competency for 
yourself and family, and, in the enjoyment of that, to realize the 
true destiny of your being — live a virtuous life, and move on 
through your course on earth with a cheerful hope of everlasting 
rest in heaven. 

I have had rather an extensive opportunity to form a correct 
estimation of the subject, and I have only one object in view, viz: 
the glory of God in the salvation and happiness of man. I have 
been long and deeply schooled in afHiction and adversity, and I 
know how happy God and true religion can make every child of 
Adam. But ^' I see a sore evil under the same power is given 
to the oppressor to oppress withal. I have seen the tears of 
those that are oppressed, and they had no comforter, but on the 
side of the oppressor there was power.'' So afflicted, mournful 
and heart-rending have been many instances of suffering which 
have come under my observation, that I groan for suffering hu- 
manity, and as I firmly believe the day will soon dawn when 
humanity will be introduced into a wiser and happier mode of 
life, I contribute my mite to the promotion of that end in offering 
the following remarks : 



CHAPTER Iir. 

Whoever would desire to secure their salvation and happiness 
must live a pious, devout life, believe in God with a sincere and 
obedient heart. Piety is at the very foundation of our essential 



k 



22 

existence ; God demands it by every voice in nature, and every 
page of inspiration ; the Divine hand has capacitated us for it ; 
nor is the blood in our veins, more necessary to life, than a life 
of piety is to constitute and promote our happiness and well-being 
in time and eternity. It is on this account that no system or en- 
terprise designed to improve the condition of man ever succeeded 
that was established upon infidel principles, and it is of Divine 
goodness they never did, for any system designed for the relief 
of the miserable, down-trodden races which did not worship and 
acknowledge God, would have turned the world into a vast me- 
nagerie of wild beasts and demons. Piety is the essence, the 
centre and the life of all human development ; but I would re- 
mind the reader that that piety which alone can be pleasing and 
acceptable to God, and truly profitable to man, is not rendered 
from any consideration, that because we are pious, God will be 
either pleased or profited, or that we shall, on that account, be 
blessed or rewarded in this life, or that which is to come. Genuine 
piety exists, and is exercised by the truly devout, because it is 
the will of God, clearly and peremptorily imposed upon all, 
*^ Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God.'' Piety which expects to 
be benefited on account of any service or worship we can offer, 
partakes of the crude devotions of Pagan idolatry. The truly 
devout fully and clearly comprehend that the most perfect re- 
ligious service merits nothing ; and although it is perfectly true 
all good for time and eternity is inseparably connected with a 
life of piety, yet those gifts do not come on account of any ser- 
vice of ours, but freely and entirely of the unmeasured mercy, 
love and goodness of God. I would, therefore, earnestly exhort 
the reader to mind that his piety be the result of the pure teach- 
ings of the Bible, read in the spirit of humble, earnest prayer, 
depending on divine guidance. Your piety will then be free from j 
superstition and error; it will be ardent and devotionally exer- 
cised in the closet, the family and the congregation ; it will lead 



23 

you to a state of communion and fellowship with God ; it will 
ever produce the virtues of truth, justice, love, faithfulness, good- 
ness, resig-nation and cheerful hope; whatever a man may have, 
if he has not genuine piety he is a miserable creature, and is dead 
whilst lie lives. A life of piety is a life of happiness, and God, 
of his own free mercy and grace, connects with piety all possible 
good ; 



CHAPTER IV. 



I advise the working man secondly, to live in the spirit of good 
will and benevolence to all men, and ever be ready to the utmost 
of your means and opportunity to promote the well-being and^ 
happiness of all. Love gushing out in streams of goodness and 
benevolence, is the blessed element of ineffable glorious bright- 
ness God himself chooses to dwell in, and He has stamped benev- 
olence upon all the works of His hands ; but no man can properly 
comprehend the destiny of his own being till he is renewed by 
divine grace to dwell in love, (a love that would not only relieve 
and bless, but a love that would die for suffering humanity,) 
they that dwell in a love like this, dwell in God, and God dwells 
in them. Lift up your eyes, and you see streaming floods of 
light, coming from the celestial orbs, to illuminate our globe, 
without cost. Look upon this globe, and you see shoals of fish, 
by millions, putting themselves into our hands. With the slight- 
est touch of the spade of industry, the earth opens her generous 
bosom and yields abundance for man and beast. Study the 
great mystery of your own being and constitution, and you can 
only say you are " fearfully and wonderfully made ;" but if you 



24 

examine closely, you find every part so constructed as to promote 
life, health and enjoyment, but not one part to minister sickness 
or pain. Look through all the tribes of insects and animals and 
you see one tribe of inferior creatures constantly yielding up 
their own existence for the sustenance of others, and all are 
ready to die at the pleasure and for the benefit of man. The few 
exceptions to this rule are those prowling, crouching, carniver- 
ous animals which live on plunder, and they are an exception for 
the purpose that their savage misery may warn and admonish 
men against avarice and crime, and to incite them to a course of 
virtue and benevolence. Look from one end of the Bible to the 
other, into all the laws God has ever enacted, and you will find 
good will and benevolence to man is the uniform principle that 
runs through the whole. Look into the lives of the patriarchs, 
Moses, and all the prophets, Christ and all the apostles, evange- 
lists and first ministers of Christianity, and you will not find one 
solitary instance of men living out of the hard earnings of the 
poor ; they did not *' minister to their own drag," or study how 
to secure their own interest and aggrandisement. They felt that 
they were not their own, and therefore lived to Him and for Him 
who lived and died for them and the whole world. The angels in 
Heaven find their highest pleasure and happiness in performing 
acts of benevolence. I speak with holy reverence when I say God 
himself is supremely and perfectly happy, because He is supremely ■ 
good. The reason saints and angels are happy, is because they are 
good and benevolent. The only reason demons and wicked men are 
miserable is because they are proud and have a constant pro- 
clivity to acts of malevolence. The only reason why the devil is 
called the god of this world, is because he reigns in the hearts of 
the children of disobedience, constantly inciting and inclining to 
a wicked course of conduct. The great difierence between good 
and bad men, is, the one is renewed by grace after the Divine 
ima^e and likeness, and their rescuer aled nature constantb" 



25 '^■^"■■' 

prompt ihom to delight in cloi.ig good, and by happy experience 
they know '' all worldly joys are less, than that one joy of doing 
kindnesses ;" the other lives in an element in which they find a 
kind of Ijellish and brutal pleasure in acts of fraud and oppres- 
sion, by which they circumvent their neighbor of his just rights, 
in order that they may live in pride and aggrandisement. Such 
is human nature, and such are the circumstances of man's being, 
evidently ordained by the Almighty that man cannot be really 
and truly happy without a principle of Divine grace, inclining 
him to a life of virtue. As well may it be attempted to build a 
house without foundation, or to rear it up without cement, as to 
hope that any man can be prosperous and happy in any other 
way, or bv any other means than those so clearly pointed out in 
the scriptures, namely, faith in God, and good will to man. 

As I have already intimated, as long as the world remains in 
its present deplorable condition, in consequence of the wicked- 
ness of man, no Christian can become what the world calls 
wealthy ; for the wants of humanity, a sense of Christian duty, 
the feelings and promptings of Divine love, lead him to give to 
the poor, and to enter upon plans of usefulness, so that all 
above a moderate competency is disposed of according to the 
evident teachings of the Bible. Christianity is the most efiectual 
developer of the mental faculties, the greatest promoter of civili- 
'zation, and doubtless the greatest producer of wealth ; but the 
real benefit of Christian piety and benevolence consists in the 
fact that the Christian possesses a happiness in the benevolent 
'disposition of his wealth known to none but himself. He truly 
drinks of that river, "the streams of which maketh glad the city of 
God," and Christ is in him as a well of water springing up unto 
eternal life. 



26 



CHAPTER V. 

In order to improve a man's condition and circumstances, he 
should strive to improve in every Christian virtue and moral 
excellence which can adorn a good moral creature. It is of par- 
amount importance that a man should study to comprehend his 
own being, relations, and destiny, as a natural and spiritual 
creature. Every man who intelligently reflects upon his own 
being, and the circumstances with which he is surrounded, must 
come to the conclusion that he owes his being, with every bless- 
ing he enjoys, to the Supreme Creator that as a natural 
creature, he is designed to be an inheritor (as well as an inhabit- 
ant) of the soil on which he lives ; that every man is designed 
to be the husband of one wife ; that he has important duties de- 
volving upon him, arising out of his several social relations ; 
that as a natural and spiritual being, connected, as he doubtless 
is, with angels and God, duties of the utmost importance to him- 1 
self and others devolve upon him, duties which, when rightfully 
performed, are connected with results of infinite magnitude, 
which cannot be neglected without sustaining eternal loss. 

From this brief review of man's being, relations and responsi- 
bilities, it is inevitably and essentially necessary that every man 
should study to develope and improve his physical, moral and 
spirital nature. It has been well said, man is a sovereignty and 
a little world within himself, and it is truly wonderful how much 
real prosperity and happiness (under Divine guidance) depends 
upon a man's own conduct and course of action. There is an in- 
finitude of importance contained in the language of the Divine 
Being to Cain, ** If thou dost well, shalt thou not be accepted I 



21 

if thou dost not well, sin lieth at thy door." It is true, there is 
a sense in which God does everything for man, and yet man does 
everything for himself. The soil the farmer tills, the seed he 
sows, the rain and sunshine by which the crops vegetate and 
come to perfection, as also the physical strength of the farmer's 
arm, and the mind that directed that arm, were all the gift of 
God ; but there could be no crops without the wise and season- 
able application of the farmer's energies, hence how clearly was 
the entire success of the farmer the result of Providence, and yet 
to what a large extent all depended upon the man's own exer- 
tions. God has put the means of civilization and happiness 
within the reach of man, but the working out and perfecting ev- 
erything largely depends upon the use man makes of his powers. 
A father gives his two sons each one hundred acres of land and 
a dwelling ; the one neglects duty, and his farm becomes an un- 
sightly wilderness, the abode of crawling reptiles and noxious 
weeds ; the other builds fences, tills the land, sows the seed, 
plants the vegetables and the beautiful flowers ; as the season 
advances how beautiful to look upon the ripening fruit ; in due 
time these are gathered into the storehouse, and the man and his 
family rejoice over the abundant reward of industry, whilst the 
man who allowed himself to be overcome by neglect and indo- 
lence, is a shame to himself and all around him. But this illus- 
tration imperfectly depicts the difference between the man, who, 
by all means, strives to improve his mental faculties, for the im- 
provement of the mind excels temporal improvements as far as 
the noonday sun surpasses the early dawn. The means of im- 
provement are within the reach of all men ; the books of nature, 
revelation, providence, and all knowledge are open to all — all 
may learn the wonders they reveal ; any man of ordinary inte- 
lect may acquire a sound fundamental education, he may 
become well informed in the sciences, he may become a good his^ 
torian and natural philosopher; but a man can abuse the precious 



28 

gifts of God, spend Iiis time in ibolish annisements, neglect the 
means of improvement, and at tiie prime of life may be only a 
little in advance of an idiot. The means of discipline and refine- 
ment are also within the reach of all, and every man may acquire 
the manners of a refined, well-bred Christian gentleman, or he 
may remain as rough, vulgar and uncouth as a savage. Prayer, 
properly, so-called, is the result of the word and spirit of God, 
producing convictions and earnest desire in the mind, and it is 
by the influence of t1:ie Divine Spirit we can effectually express 
our desires to God. Men can enjoy no real good only as that 
good is sanctified by prayer, the life of God in the soul of the 
true believer ; all the fruits of the Spirit are suspended upon the 
proper discharge of this duty, but we can restrain prayer and 
thereby cause all the life of God to die away, or we can continne 
in the duty, and grow up into all the life and power of Godliness. 

The duties of self-denial and mortification of all fleshly appe- 
tites are connected with an increase of virtue and happiness, but 
we can, if we choose, live a life of self-indulgence and forfeit our 
privileges as true disciples of Jesus Christ. 

Evangelical faith is that which comes to the mind as the gift 
of God, in concurrence with the right use a man makes of his 
faculties 5 but the exercise of faith is, to a large extent, left 
within the province of man's ov/n power, either to be used, or to 
remain inactive. How rich and numerous are the benefits which 
faith secures to all true believers ; all there is in Providence, re- 
demption and grace, is realized by this simple exercise of the mind. 
By faith, we mystically eat the flesh and drink the blood of the 
Son of God, and have eternal life abiding in us; by faith, Christ 
Jesus is made unto us wn'sdom, righteousness, sanctification and 
redemption, the remission of our sins, the justification of our 
persons, our regeneratio:., the fruits of the spirit, the witness and 
seal of our adoption, and the hope of everlasting life is all by 
faith. There is a sense in which we have no more to do with 



29 

procnr'ng these blessings than we had with making- the world, 
and yet, under Divine grace all is made to depend upon ourselves. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Every man should, in early life, learn some agricultural or 
mechanical profession. 

The education of no man should be regarded as complete, until 
he can produce some article of food, clothing or furniture, which 
he could exchange for some of his neighbors' productions, and 
thereby promote their mutual interest. What writers on political 
economy call the division of labor, is wisely calculated to produce 
abundance and cheapness, at a light cost of labor and capital, 
but when the industrial classes submitted to allow the indolent 
and unscrupulous, to avoid labor altogether, under the pretext of 
confining themselves to what they pleased to call the learned 
professions, &c., one of the greatest of all demoralizing influ- 
ences was introduced into society. Under the Mosaic economy, 
which was designed to be merged into and receive its completion 
in the Christian dispensation, no one could with impunity avoid 
a due portion of manual labor ; for there was no provision made 
for any class of men living in refined or vulgar idleness ; even 
the priests and the Levites cultivated the land, or were otherwise 
engaged in some useful employment ; and as regards the tithes 
and offerings of the people, these were received as an equivalent 
remuneration for the abundance of hard toil, in connection with 
the service of the tabernacle and temple. No people were so 
remarkably distinguished for the general and almost universal 
application of labor, as the Jewish nation; for it became a maxim 
with them, that the man who did not bring up his son to a trade, 
brought him up to be a thief ; and the introduction of Christianity 
was accompanied with an apostolic injunction, '*if any man will 
not work, neither allow him to eat." Labor, wisely selected, and 
well executed, is the foundation, the bone and sinew, the spinal 



80 

marrow, the blood and the beating pulse of all real national prosper- 
ity. No nation ever was, or ever can be really prosperous only 
to the extent of its virtuous industry. The ingenious author, 
Jeremy Taylor, has well said " that national prosperity grounded 
upon illicit and unrighteous gains is the worst curse that can 
come upon any people." All nations as they grow indolent, be- 
come circumventive, avaricious, vain, luxurious, effeminate, de- 
moralized, and soon sink into decay and ruin. If the industrious 
classes could be prevailed upon to act together in wise concert, 
and could they be favored with even a share of that wis- 
dom and sound experience which, to a certain extent, is always 
connected with every Christian community, every industrious 
man would soon inherit a plot of land, and a comfortable dwel- 
ling, and have themselves and families well and elegantly cloth- 
ed; they could properly influence and control all domestic and 
foreign exchanges; they could cause all unwholesome laws to be 
repealed, and good laws to be enacted ; they could, with the 
greatest ease, effect all needful reforms in Church and State ; 
they could turn the wilderness into a fruitful field, and they could 
people the earth with vastly increased multitudes of happy hu- 
man beings ; and they could confer a most inestimable benefit 
and blessing upon every class of non-producers, by compelling 
them of choice or necessity, to labor before they were allowed to 
possess or consume ; t»hey could do more to promote civilization, 
religion and happiness, than all the hireling priests, ministers 
and pastors m Christendom. It is ten thousand pities that the 
class who produce the wealth of all nations, and who are capable 
of such an abundance of real good, should possess nothing them- 
selves, and should live without any better future than an abun- 
dance of hard toil, connected with a condition of great poverty 
and a premature grave, and all because superstition, and oppres- 
sion, and wrong have well nigh crushed and bruised all the man- 
hood out of their being, and prostrated and degraded them till 



31 

they part with the fruit of their labor with all the apparent te- 
merity and with as little sense of wrong, as a cow parting with 
her milk, or of the stupid ox putting his shoulder to the yoke, or 
the camel staggering under the heavy burden ; nay, in some in- 
stances, like the spaniel, which turns to lick the hand which 
chastised it. But while the oppressed poor have submitted to 
the nullification of their own being and character, the proud, in- 
dolent revelers in wealth and luxury have advanced so amazing- 
ly in the science of chicanery and circumvention, that they can 
transfer to themselves the rightful property of others, with all 
the adroitness of the bee sipping the sweets from the opening 
flower, or like wasps and hornets upon honey, or carnivorous vul- 
tures upon the fallen carcass ; it is in this way that the happy 
medium condition in life, which is free from the extremes of 
wealth ^poverty is scarcely known in the world, and the fam- 
ily of man is cursed with the terrible amount of crime and suffer- 
ing which are the invariable attendants of these extremes. Nor 
is there, under the wide canopy of Heaven, any, but one solitary 
remedy for this intolerable incubus of crime and misery, and that 
one remedy consists in this : intelligent Christian benevolence 
must undertake to instruct, direct and assist the virtuous poor 
how to economize, and how to keep in their own possession, and 
how to appropriate to their own use every fraction of their own 
honest earnings; by the wise and general application of this 
simple rule, all men would be compelled to the duty of labor, and 
the great mountain difficulty in the way of the spread of religion 
and happiness would be removed, and the kingdom of God would 
come with power, and one simultaneous loud voice would be ut- 
tered to the ends of the earth, " the Lord God omnipotent reign- 
-th." 

If it be said, this theory supposes that virtuous industry is to 

supe rclo the gospel in the conversion of the world, the reply is, 

virtuous ind''->ti"y is most essential and indispcn^sable 



32 

element of the gospel, and the most potent of all causes of its 
comparative want of success consist in the fact that the false 
friends of Christianity have joined hands with its worst enemies 
to separate industry from Christianity, and for no better motive 
than that of administering to their own pride and aggrandise- 
ment. If it be said, this theory would result in an illiterate and 
ignorant Christianity, the reply is, (though it may appear a par- 
adox) all the facts of history and experience prove most uncon- 
trovertibly that the labors of a so-called learned clergy have al- 
ways ultimated in a very ignorant people. If it be said, the du- 
ties of preaching the gospel, the administration of law, physic 
and civil government could not be properly performed but by 
men profoundly educated, my reply is, these duties could not be 
administered more feebly, inefficiently, or so wickedly, and with 
such disastrous effect as they now are; and the clear probability 
and moral certainty is, if virtuous, industrious men could be pre- 
vailed upon to comprehend the worth and dignity of their being, 
large numbers of well-trained and well-experienced able men 
would spring up in every community, ably and successfully to 
administer law, medicine and government, with as little desire 
for pecuniary reward as a generous man desires a percentage 
for finding his neighbor's purse, and any man having experienced 
the grace of God, and a Divine call to the ministry of the Word, 
if he would not pr^^ch the gospel without money, would de- 
serve driving back into his former state of guilt and misery. 

CHAPTER VIL 

Every man should become a good Merchant. 

Commerce, as intimated in another page, is of divine ordina- 
tion ; and when conducted upon principles of fairness, and good 
will to man, is wonderfully calculated to produce every good 
quality ; the reason children are born naked is, because it was 
designed that by affording men a necessity for mauulactun'n^ 



3S 

usctnl articles, and of exchanging them with each other, the in- 
vahiable quality of virtue and benevolence should thereby be 
developed ; but that which was designed to be an abundant 
blessing, is, by the vile avarice of wicked men, perverted into 
one of the greatest causes of strife and disorder ; it has been re- 
marked by a certain writer, that in case a company of demons 
i;;iJ Silt in hellish conclave for a century, no means so likely could 
have been adopted for rendering men vile and miserable, as that 
of modern commerce. To illustrate : some time ago, while in 
conversation with a gentleman who was about winding up his 
business, he having obtained a competency, and betjause, as he 
said, ^* business Was no longer worth following ; for," said he, 
(taking a knot of tape in his hand,) ''twenty-five years ago, I 
could buy this for one cent and sell it for three cents, but now, 
I have to pay nearly as much as formerly, and have to sell two 
knots for three cents." While the conversation was proceeding, 
a poor, trembling old lady presented herself, in a supplicating 
attitude, to whom the gentleman gave twenty-five cents, and 
turning to me, stated that, that poor creature's late husband and 
himself had been school-fellows till they were of an age to learn a 
trade, and then had worked at shoemaking in the same place, 
for twenty years, " when," said he, '' I began a small business in 
the dry goods line, leaving my companion to follow his hard toil, 
at which he continued till about ten years ago, when he died, 
leaving his family poor, and his widow unprovided for." I learned 
from other sources, that this gentleman had educated and brought 
up his children in a most expensive manner, and was now worth 
one hundred thousand dollars. Now, the extreme contrast in 
these men's circumstances, was evidently the result of the rich 
man'si buying tape very cheap, and selling it, and all he had to 
sell, very dear, realizing' the enormous profit of from one to two 
huiidicd per cent.; while, at the same time, the poor man acted 
upon the very oppuoite piiucjpie, and buu^iit i^hiib rich maij':^ tape, 



34 

&c., &G.J far too dear, and sold all he had to sell, (his labor) very far 
below its value. Now, suppose this poor man and his wife had 
in early life received an education such as the pious Quakers give 
their children, and suppose that a good share of their education 
had consisted in learning the intrinsic and relative value of a 
knot of tape, and all other articles in common use : and suppose 
that one most important emendation had been added even to a 
Quaker's education, namely : that most virtuous, if not the most 
religious of all duties, ** combining honest physical labor with 
buying and selling,- the consequence would have been that this 
poor man would have bought his tape, and everything he had to 
buy, at the cheapest market, and in place of making the grand 
mistake of working for others, he would have worked for him- 
self, and when he went to the cheap market to buy, he would 
have taken his labor culminated into shoes of the best style and 
quality, into the dear market^ and the profits of buying cheaply, 
and of selling his labor at its proper value, would have gone into 
his own exchequer. Now, suppose the poor ignorant people who 
had contributed to the rich man's wealth, by buying one hundred 
per cent, above value, could have been prevailed upon to have 
acted in concert with the poor man, the inevitable consequence 
would have been the rich man would have had to work for an 
honest living just as his companion did. In this case we should 
not have seen honesty in poverty, and villainous extortion in 
wealth and grandeur, but both would have been in circumstances 
of comfortable independence; both might have inherited that 
which God and nature had provided, and the wants of all well- 
regulated society require for every family, namely, a parcel of 
land and a comfortable dwelling, and both would have been upon 
one common level with regard to advantages in virtue and re- 
ligion. In the one case cliiKlren and parents would have avoided 
all the temptations to vice and degradation ever bicident to a 
condition of extreme poverty, aiid in the other case, ti:e entire 



35 



family of the rich man would have avoided the most powerful in- 
centive to pride, profligacy and vice. 



Adam Smith in his " Wealth of Nations," speaking of one oi 
the richest and most fruitful counties in south Britain, a coun- 
ty remarkable for the great contrast of the extreme wealth of the 
few, and the poverty of the many of its inhabitants, informs us 
^^ That a farm of one thousand acres will yield a net return of 
two thousand pounds per annum, and that fifteen laborers can be 
employed at the low cost of three hundred pounds per annum, or 
twenty pounds sterling per man. It would appear from this 
statement that all that the poor man received per week is about 
eight shillings sterling, and after a life of hard toil, penury and 
want he dies full seventeen years before his natural time. Now, 
if this poor oppressed one had been schooled to comprehend that 
God and nature had designed, and the wants of himself and fam- 
ily demanded, that he should be an inheritor as well as an inhab- 
itant of the soil, and suppose some benevolent individual had 
said to this laboring man, " I am sorry for your sad, poverty- 
stricken condition, but there is no hope or prospect for men sit- 
uated as you are, in a country where unnatural oppression has 
been tolerated for centuries, and where the rich and the powerful 
have monopolized all the land, and well nigh every available 
means by which the virtuous might rise from a state of poverty 
into circumstances of ease and comfort, I will afford you some 
assistance in money which, together with the small amount you 
can realize of your own, will amount to a sum sufficient to re- 
move you and your family to some of the Western States of 
America, where you can live in the best society, possess land 



36 
and dwelling of your own at a small cost ; two short years of 

well-applied industry will doubtless place you and yours in cir- 
cumstances of ease, comfort and respectability." Now, if work- 
ing men could be prevailed upon to act upon this principle, either 
by their own means, or by the assistance of others, the conse- 
quence would be that the proud, lordly farmer would be obliged 
by necessity to till his own ground, and to call his sons from the 
haunts of vice and dissipation, to hold the plough, sow the fields, 
and garner the harvest, and his w4fe and daughters would be 
under the necessity of attending to their own household duties, 
and of managing their own dairy. 

If this policy could be acted upon, a moral, social, and religious 
reformation would take place, such as never can be produced by 
any of the enterprizes now put in operation by the church, to 
Christianize and improve the condition of man ; and unquestion- 
ably the benevolence of the gospel, the uniform letter of the Bi- 
ble, the wants of the poor, and our duty to suffering humanity, 
demand such a sacrifice and the adoption of such measures ; and 
if the laboring classes, the wealthy and well-disposed, would rend 
the veil from their eyes to see the inefificiencj^ of all the means 
and institutions now in existence, intended to Christianize the 
world, surely they would attempt such an enterprize. Do not 
sa}^ the pecuniary means could not be had, for, to svry nothing of 
money spent in vice and foolish amusements, if the Church would 
wisely appropriate the money impiously expended upon profes- 
sional singers, musicians and hireling pastors, every family might 
be in possession of a dwelling house, and sufficient land in the 
course of -a few years, and this would do more to Christianize the 
world, than all other charitable institutions put together. I will 
instance one example further, and having made reference to farm- 
ers and retail merchants, I will take the case of the wholesale 
provision dealer, who goes to the market of supply, and by pre- 
concerted plans executed with skill and adroitness, only succeeds 
too well in buying nearly all the provisions that can come to 



3i 

market for a long season, at a price much below value ; his next 
move is to cause a rise in the price upon the small unsold stoch 
in the supply market ; he then moves this immense stock to the 
market of demand, and being assisted by a second class of deal 
ers, together with large accommodation from bankers, this stock 
of provisions is allowed to come to the market in small quantities 
only, so that large and exorbitant profits may be realized ; in this 
way fifty to one hundred per cent, have been made, and large 
fortunes amassed. Nothing can be clearer then, that every dol- 
lar of money obtained in this way, comes out of the pockets of 
the industrious poor, and if by these circumventive means this 
merchant succeeds in extracting one hundred thousand dollars 
from a population of ten thousand people, every individual of 
that community must be ten dollars the poorer. Now, a mere 
child in the knowledge and experience of human affairs could 
have informed these people how to have purchased provisions at 
the first cost, and have retained the one hundred thousand dol- 
lars for needful comforts, or some enterprize of useful manufac- 
tory, or means of educational improvement, and the extortioner 
would, in this case, have been one of themselves, following some 
useful calling, striving to promote the good of the whole. But in 
what manner is he disposing of his ill-gotten wealth? well would 
it have been for his poor neighbors if he had dug a hole in the 
ground and buried it there forever, or even if he and his family 
could have consumed the whole. But all those whom the devil 
prevail upon to become rich, he leads to the perpetration of as 
much evil as possible, and hence this rich man sends his children 
to colleges or universities, and one returns a lawyer, another a 
doctor of medicine, a third a minister, and all are in a fair way of 
becoming politicians and government oflQcers, and if the truth 
could be uttered, the great probability would be, one cheats of 
property, another of health and life, and the other of civil and 
true religious liberty ; not one member of the family produce 



88 

anything, but probably engage many scores as servants and at- 
tendants, who would otherwise have been usefully employed in 
producing something for the good of general society. The read- 
er will readily perceive I have not selected persons from the most 
degraded ranks of society ; I have not made any mention of gam- 
blers or theatrical perforniers ; of men who make wealth by man- 
ufacturing and selling strong drinks ; or those who cheat by 
substituting cotton for wool, linen or silk ; or from any of the 
numerous businesses of a nefarious character. I have taken the 
least blameable portion of commercial men. If my deductions be 
true of these, what must be the state of the worst and most in- 
iquitous ? Now, under the Mosaic economy, every man dealing 
nefariously, was subject to the sanction of the judges and elders 
of the people, and was compelled to make restitution of all un- 
just gains ; and the letter and spirit of Christianity peremptorily 
demands restitution. But in these modern times — these times of 
flattery, falsehood and fraud, — the very people, wronged and 
ground to the earth by oppression, are expected to bow the knee 
and do their oppressors reverence. Nay, not a few of the dear 
pastors, of all denominations, Popes, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, 
and Presbytery, even down to the humblest Methodist preacher, 
all seem delighted to take them into Church communion, and even 
make them officials and standard bearers. 

If I could believe that it was of the ordination of the Almighty 
that the proud monopolizers of society should possess without 
producing, or that the rich man's easily acquired wealth, and the 
poor man's povert}^, was promotive of moralit}^ and religion, I 
would say to the poor, by all means intently follow your hard toil, 
and tamely submit to be plundered out of the fruits of your indus- 
try; but after a thorough investigation of the subject, I am convin- 
ced that the exircmcs produced in the circninstancos and condi- 
tions of men, by the unequal division of labnr and its fruits, is pro- 
ductive of more demoralization and miser^^ than ar^^ other cause* 



39 

I therefore, earnestly recommend all industrious men to com- 
mence buying and selling in the raw and manufactured material 
of their own industrial profession, and also in other articles ; by 
doing so, they can accommodate and improve the condition of their 
neighbors, and in recommending this course, I would ask the work- 
ing man, what would you think of a man who, to a large extent, 
possessed the power of afifecting society for bad or for good, but 
who invariably used that power to produce as much misery and 
ruin as possible ? You act thus every day you confine yourself to 
hard toil, and allow the idle and unprincipled to luxuriate and rev- 
el in the fruit of your labor. What would you think of that father, 
who, of choice, labored hard and lived poor, to feed, feast and ag- 
grandize the indolent, the proud, and the lordly, while his own 
wife and family were in destitution and want ? what would you 
think of that mother who would open her breast to nourish the 
child of a stranger, while her own offspring was pining away for 
want of its own natural nourishment ? Every working man acts 
the part of these unnatural parents, so long as they allow others 
to grow rich and become demoralized by dealing in their labor. 



CHAPTER IX. 

My limits prevent me putting through the press well nigh an 
entire chapter relative to the use every working man ought to 
make of his leisure time. I cannot, however, omit calling the 
attention of the reader to the following reflections : When the 
time comes (and it certainly will) when those who are now 
styled the laboring classes will become intelligent, they will then 
no longer work for any but themselves ; the inevitable conse- 
quence will be the present race of unemployed non-producers of 



40 

society will have "to perform their own natural and proper share 
of physical labor ; this being accomplished, working men will, 
with equal certainty, have to take an active part in the manage- 
ment of civil government, in adjusting wrongs in society, and 
prescribing for the sick, and good men, inwardly, providentially 
and Divinely moved upon, will have to discharge what are now 
regarded as the oJEcial duties of religion ; but to perform any of 
these duties with efficiency and success, it will be indispensable 
to acquire every mental and moral qualification, so that no good, 
sensible man can, with impunity, allow one hour of time to pass 
unimproved. 

Again, I must request the working man to contemplate the 
terrible amount of persecution, suffering and wrong the industri- 
ous classes have received at the hands of wicked, tyrannical em- 
perors, kings and civil rulers generally. If we inquire who are 
the men who, for centuries past, and even up to this day, who 
for the most part have wormed themselves into official situations 
in and under every civil government, we shall find that two-thrrds 
of the whole have been, and even now are, of the legal profes- 
sion. I need not describe the character of these terrible pests 
of all society, but I would ask any sensible man how can you 
expect wise laws or a virtuous good government under such a 
class of fiends in the form of fine, smoothly polished gentlemen, 
and how terribly afflictive have been the results of such men be- 
ing at the helm of civil aff'airs ? If we trace the origin and his* 
tory of every devastating war, for a thousand years, in no in- 
stance can it be found that the industrial poor were the cause of 
any of those dreadful military encounters which have laid na- 
tions desolate, and caused the streets to run with blood I 
would remind the reader that the laboring classes had no partici- 
pation in bringing about the very desolating war now waged in 
the United States, nor was it those most honorable of all men, 
who b^ their own hands were cultivating** and rendering fruitful 



41 

a portion of the earth's surface for a comfortable inheritance for 
themselves and families. By no means, for facts abundantly 
prove it was the idle, the lordly and the proud, men who were 
never content even when they were allowed td take the lion'a 
share ; men transformed into demons by the possession of abun- 
dance of wealth to which they had not one shred of equitable right. 
These are the men, who, with the ferociousness of wild ani- 
mals, instigated and now persist in carrying on the war ; it is 
true, it has been greatly facilitated by misguided partisans, who 
could not see any thing improper in white men being reduced 
to a state of degrading servitude, some aspects of which are 
worse than Egyptian bondage ; but they said, we will not allow 
the black race to be oppressed, and held in slavery. If these 
people had wisely and faithfully taken the beam out of their own 
eye, they would have seen how to take the mote out of the eye 
of the slave owners ; the southern people would have said, be- 
hold the justice, humanity and benevolence of our northern 
brethren ; they have set us and all the world an example of 
Christian love and compassion, and are doing to the oppressed 
poor in their midst just as they would have others do to them ; 
their example puts us to shame, and as we see the beneficial re- 
sults of their conduct, we will imitate their example. In this 
case the country would have known no war, and the condition of 
the slave would have been greatly relieved. But though the 
masses have had nothing to do in instigating war in any in- 
stance, their diabolical rulers have succeeded in a wonderful 
manner, sometimes by flattery and lies, sometimes by the power 
of eloquence, and at other times when they could not succeed by 
any other means, they have driv^en the laboring classes into the 
terrible arena of blood uiid death by the lash, the point of the 
bayonet, the musket, or the mouth of the cannon. How numer- 
ous are the instances in which tiie language of the prophet has 
been fulfilled : '^ In Ramah was iheir a voije heard, lamentation 



42 

and ^^eeping" and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her chil- 
dren and would not be comforted because they were not," and I 
repeat, the fact cannot be controverted ; it now is, and ever has 
been, the idle, the proud, the avaricious, the vile, and the worth- 
less, who have been the main cause of all war. 

Again, I would remind the reader how very necessary it is 
that every working man should improve his leisure hours in the 
acquisition of knowledge. The main cause of the poor man's 
suffering and humiliation arises from his entire ignorance of 
many things he ought to be well informed of. The wise man has 
said " The labor of the foolish wearies every one of them, because 
they know not how to find the way to the city," and because he 
saw that the people perished for lack of knowledge, he says : 
'* With all thy getting, get wisdom, for the merchandise of it is 
better than silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold," and 
among a thousand other ways in which he illustrates the great 
importance of knowledge, he tells ns there was a city, and 
a great king came against it, and when every other means of de- 
fence failed, he informs us there was a poor wise man in that 
city, who, by his wisdom, delivered the city. It was mind which 
first spoke matter into existence, and then gave it life, beauty 
and motion. It is mind that performs everything. The mind 
most largely endowed with knowledge, must always rise supreme 
to ignorance and folly. It is knowledge, more than any other 
qualification, by which the working man can rise into situations 
of trust and influence ; and if labor was properly divided, five 
hours each day would be the full time any man need work. In 
this case, what is there to prevent a poor man becoming a man of 
letters, a good historian, a wise philosopher, an impressive orator, 
an able lawyer, a shrewd dipolomatist, a learned theologian, and 
a wise ruler. All these qualities may be attained by any sensi- 
ble working man, and that with comparative ease and always 
with great pleasure"] All that the industrious classes want 



4S 

is the cordial assistance and co-operation often or twelve earnest 
inquirers after knowledge who would assist mutually in pro 
moting each others' improvement. Institutions of this kind are 
colleges proper and they ought to be multiplied by thousands, 
through all countries, and receive the friendly assistance of all 
good men, and they would soon reduce to their own level, and 
absorb all other colleges. 

If enough has not been said to induce the working man to im- 
prove that most precious gift, time, I would recommend him to 
visit some of the miserable parish alms houses in the neighbor- 
hood where he may reside, and there listen to the sad tale of 
sorrow which the widows, sisters, mothers or daughters of de- 
ceased working men can relate of the shameful wrongs they have 
received from bad men in their state of poverty and want of 
protection ; and as your mind is afflicted with their sorrowful 
condition, call to mind what may possibly be the situation of your 
own family in the event of your removal before they are provided 
for. If any man can calmly reflect upon these, and many other 
subjects of a kindred character, and afterwards spend his leisure 
hours in visiting foolish shows, theatrical amusements, porter 
houses, dram shops, gilded saloons for the accommodation of the 
vain and trifling, the dance, the ball, the cards, the billiard table, 
&c., &c., in order to waste precious time, he need not read one 
line further of my humble, but well intended efforts to promote 
his good, for he must remain where God and inevitable fate have 
placed him — with the vile, the degraded, and the unhappy. 



44 



CHAPTER X 

Every man anxious to secure his best interest, will do well to 
associate himself with some branch of the Christian church. 
There is nothing more manifest from the teachings of the Bible, 
from history, or from the wants of human society, than the fact 
that God designed men to dwell together in religious union and 
fellowsbip. A church or congregation thus united has existed 
through all the long vista of time, and doubtless will exist till time 
shall be no longer. To express God^s love to, benign and watchful 
care over, the church, the inspired writers have used a great many 
of the most endearing appellations, such as God^s chosen, 
called, elected, redeemed, saved and sanctified. All true believers 
are God^s own peculiar people. His friends, family, house, nation, 
kingdom, and church is God's beloved, daughter, spouse, bride, 
and wife. These expressive terms are made use of because all 
true members of this holy association are called of God, changed, 
pardoned, renewed, adopted, sanctified and made holy by Divine 
mercy and grace, and are taken into a state of covenant relation 
with God, and He is their father, husband, brother, protector, king, 
governor and Saviour; and on the ground of this relationship to God, 
they are all united in holy covenant to watch over each other in 
love, and to the utmost of their means to promote the best inter- 
est of each other. Genuine church fellowship is the most endear- 
ing, most sacred and happy relation men can enjoy on earth, 
and more than any other relationship is a resemblance to, and 
foretaste of, that haven of rest the faithful hope to enjoy in a 
better world. The church is God's depository of Divine truth ; 
His witness and vicegerent on earth. And though it is a lament 



45 

able truth, the gospel is a net that brings into the church all 
ki dS; bad and good, and that the kings and merchant men of the 
earth have become rich, and have perpetrated their vile plans 
and purpose by means of the church, yet, wherever good 
men can be found, they are all drawn by a sacred instinct to join 
themselves to the church. God dwells in the church, and here, 
in a most impressive and conscious manner He reveals Himself 
to every devout and sincere worshipper And by means of the 
church, He designs to penetrate with a knowledge of Himself all 
the dark places of the earth ; the church is as needful to renew 
the race of man in righteousness, as the rains and dews of Heaven 
are needful to renew and beautify the earth's vegetation ^ the 
church is a living embodiment, and an active, eneigctic, and dif- 
fusive representation of the grandest and the most sublime idea 
recorded in history, or which can enter the human conception. 
Christ Jesus, who was rich in glory ere the world began, for our 
sake became poor, and though all the natural elements were 
under His control and obeyed His voice. He voluntarily assumed an 
humble and lowly condition in life, spent his time in habits of 
industry, and went about doing good to the bodies and souls of 
men ; and after a life of toil, poverty and suffering, gave Himself 
up to a painful and ignominious death, even the death of the 
Cross, in order to promote the salvation of a sinful race. That 
which gives perfection to this unexampled goodness, condescen- 
sion and love of the Redeemer is, we have the most irrefragible 
proof that Jesus Christ, by His own power and godhead, rose 
from the grave of dealh, appciircd on earth to His disciples, and 
in their sight was taken up into Heaven, and being seated on the 
right hand of the Majesty on high, far above all principalities 
and pDWors ; according to His own promise. He showered down 
abundantly the gift of the Holy Ghost, filling the hearts of His 
followers with such a burning, quenchless zeal for the salvation 
and happiness of men, that the rich and great not only made res- 



46 

titution of all they had gained by fraud and oppression, but also 
gave abundantly of that which they had honestly acquired to 
supply the wants of their fellow creatures ; and so unbounded 
was their benevolence, that men and women of the highest, 
mental, moral and natural endowments, some rich, some poor, 
some learned, others illiterate, went everywhere through the land 
agrcable to the instruction of Christ, without purse or scrip, 
without fee or any earthly reward, preaching the kingdom of God; 
and so amazing were the results, that vast multitudes were added 
unto the Lord, and such was the Divine reality of their conversion 
that it is said they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they 
had all things common, and sold their possessions and goods, 
and parted them to all men as every man had need, and they did 
eat their bread with gladness and singleness of heart, praising 
God, and having favor with all the people. 

** Ho, what an age of golden days ; 
Ho, what a choice peculiar race.'* 

And who that will rationally investigate the veritable facts 
and indubitable evidences upon which Christianity rest, will not 
inquire why did not the blessed religion of the Lord Jesus Christ 
continue to revive and spread till the whole earth was filled with 
the knowledge and glory of God. We are assured from the be- 
nevolence of the Divine character, and from the uniform declara- 
tions of holy writ, that God willed the salvation of all men ; and 
nothing can be clearer than this, Christianity is, and ever has been, 
preeminently successful in accomplishing the salvation and hap- 
piness of all those who have submitted to its divine requirements, 
but as regards the vast multitudes who deliberately reject the 
salvation provided for them in the gospel economy of mercy and 
grace, I freely confess I am not able to account for, because I 
cannot explain why men should love vice better than virtue. I 
cannot explain why inspiration should have cause to say ali flesh 
had corrupted itself before God; or, why the Almighty ishouid iiave 



4t 

to say of Noah, " Thee only have I seen righteous in this genera- 
tion." If we could be informed why those bodies of matter 
floating in the vortex of space, resembling, as they do, worlds, 
are in their present condition, in all probability it would appear 
that the intelligent creatures of those worlds had sinned greatly 
in desiring and then possessing something they were forbidden. 
The reason good angels have kept their first estate is, they have 
retained their fidelity. The reason the devil and his angels were 
cast out of Heaven was, they wanted to possess and gratify 
themselves in a manner God had prohibited. Our first parents 
were turned out of Paradise for the same ofience; the same sin ren- 
dered inrfncient those respective covenants under which the ante- 
diluvians and (subsequently) the patriarchs lived. Under Moses, an 
economy was introduced resembling, in all its main features, all 
that has been made binding on man through all time ; the whole 
system of law and usage taught by Moses was intended to pro- 
duce the constant conviction in every mind that *^ man doth not 
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the 
mouth of the Lord, shall man live" the meaning obviously is, 
the life of man's real happiness is not in the possession of mate- 
rial good, because God had so constituted their being that true 
happiness was derived from the exercise of holy affections, and 
from the right performance of properly appointed duties, — it was 
the exercise* of pious devotion to God, and benevolence to man, 
and in the proper disciplining of themselves, which was to be to 
them as a well of living water, ever springing up in their minds 
even to eternal life. But as they subsequently said to Samuel's 
remonstranc(?s ''Nay, but let us have a'king to reign over us," 
so they said concerning the true meaning and intent of all the 
laws Moses gave them ; we are not satisfied with that pleasure 
and happiness of which you write and speak as arising from su- 
preme love to God nnd benevolence to man ; let us have material 
good, the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, and the pride 



48 

of life ; let us have a large increase of these, and let us have 
them without the discharge of duty ; let us have them without 
labor ; let us have them at the expense of our less avaricious 
brethren : let us have them at the expense of justice, truth and 
honor ; let us have them, though it involves our guilt and con- 
demnation, and though it kills all the Life of God out of our 
souls, and though it exposes us to the displeasure of God and 
future torments. And so uniformly did they, as a nation, re- 
nounce and reject the way of salvation and happiness God had 
appointed, and so ardently did they covet vain things which 
could not profit or deliver, that God, in His righteous displeasure, 
gave them up to the hardness of their own hearts. 

And the history of that giving up we have in the virtuous 
many, laboring to keep the vile few in idleness, pride and luxury ; 
we have it in the extremes of wealth and poverty, (in a nation 
all intended to be equals) — demoralizing the one class and de- 
grading the other ; we have it in a class of men (who in modern 
times are called the learned professions,) devouring widows' 
houses, and then, for a pretence, making long prayers ; we have 
it in the just but terrible judgment of God, giving them up to 
judicial blindness ; we have it in the destruction of Jerusalem 
and in the ruin of their nation. If the reader will turn to the 
xvi. ch. 49 V. of the Prophet Ezekiel, he will learn from the pen 
of Inspiration the real cause of the demoralization and ruin of 
the Jewish nation. ^' This, (thy iniquity) was the iniquity of 
thy sister Sodom ; pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of 
idleness." These parent vices of all vices, were not only the 
ruin of the Jews, and of the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah and 
all the cities of the rich plains of Jordan, but they have been 
the cause of the ruin of all other cities, people and nations 
througii ill time ; and we may safely go one step further and 
add, if that which the science of geology renders highly prob- 
able could be proved really true, namely : that this earth has 



49 

passed through more than one dreadful convolution, in which all 
the rational intelligences were destroyed. The cause of these 
ruins would doubtless be, pride and great luxury, associated 
with liiuoh idleness ; and I would appeal to the genuine Christian 
phiUintinopist (the only character I need speak to, for the proud, 
the vain and the idle would only laugh me to scorn), what is the 
cause of the terrible overflowing of crime and suffering under which 
humanity has ever groaned? an impartial investigation will give 
the answer— pride, in connection with luxury, without honest labor. 
The cause of the comparative inefficiency of Christianity, began 
just where the ruin of the Mosaical economy ended, namely : in 
pride, bread and idleness for honest physical labor is as neces- 
sary an element in the formation of a good moral character, and 
in civilizing and evangelizing the race of man, as ballast is to a 
newly-launched ship ; and can no more be dispensed with than 
the sails of that ship can be controlled without proper ropes and 
pullies. Nay, further, as one violation of the Divine decalogue 
persisted in would incur the penalty of the whole law, so pride, 
luxury and idleness cut men off from all the essential benefits of 
Christ, death and mediation. The Gospel did not remove the 
contingencies arising from temptation and the freedom of the 
human will, for the reign of Divine Grace, under the Gospel, was 
a field sown with good wheat ; but the enemy of human happi- 
ness had power to cast tares in, and the Gospel was a net that 
caught all kinds, bad as well as good, and while its benefits and 
blessings were intended for all, it nevertheless did not save all, 
or make all virtuous and good ; for we have abundance of evi- 
dence, even from the New Testament Scriptures, that, quite at an 
early age, there were connected with the Church, men of a worldly 
spirit, who allowed the cares of the world and the deceitfulness 
of riches to grow up and choke the good seed. Some of these 
characters assumed the ministerial office, and it was these who 
afforded the Apostle Paul by iar the largest share of all the per- 



k 



50 

secntions and suffering he endured ; and it was these men he 
denounces as grievous wolves, because they refused to follow 
his example, or the teachings of Jesus Christ relative to their 
duty of administering to their own wants by their own hands. 

It was worldly-minded private members of the Church who, 
quite at an early age, influenced the conduct of ministers who 
were themselves actuated by sinister motives ; and in substance 
their language was : We do not like this Christianity which 
so entirely makes salvation and happiness to depend upon spir- 
itual and unseen things, and which so uniformly insists upon 
supreme love to God and benevolence to man ; we do not like a 
religion which inculcates the renouncing of the world, and the 
mortification of all carnal propensities, and a constant taking up 
and bearing the cross of difficulty ; we cannot away with a 
religi m which insists upon a very rigorous disciplining of a man^s 
sell, and which only associates true blessedness with poverty of 
spirit, meekness, humility, goodness of character, labor purity, 
and suffering ; we cannot regard with favor a religion which is 
said to consist of a life hid with Christ in God — a life of faith, 
love and joyous hope, — a life of conscious, blessed, holy, peaceful 
communion with saint p, angels and God. We see clearly this 
is the religion the Bible teaches, and we believe it to be of God ; 
and it is the religion we shall want, and which we hope to have 
just before we die, but it is not suitable for us under present 
circumstances. What we want, is seen, tangible things, — the 
world and its pleasures, '' the desire of the flesh, the desire of 
the eye, and the pride of life." It was these worldly spirits who 
had inveigled themselves into the church, and then bartered 
away the privileges of the Church to its sinister ministers ; like 
the steward of the French baron, who, when reminded of fraud 
in his accounts, said : ''Well, never mind ; you allow me to take 
all I want, and I will allow you to take what you want." Thus 
it was in the early corruptions of Christianity. Worldly-minded 



51 

men in substance said to the few in the ministrj^ who partook of 
their spirit : You allow us to remain in the Church, and get 
wealth as we can, and spend it in worldly aggrandizement and 
pleasure, or hoard it up just as we please, and we will allow 
you to change, alter and transmogrify the religion of Jesus 
Christ just to suit your own worldly interest and pride ; you may 
transfer the government of the Church from that form of a wise and 
well-tempered theocracy, democracy and aristocracy, to any kind 
of absolute arbitrary form of government you please ; only allow 
us to circumvent the honest poor of the reward of their hard 
toil, and we will allow you to hold synods, conventions, convo- 
cations and conferences, and you may hold all these ministerial 
assemblies with closed doors, in order to avoid opposition from 
the laity ; you can propound any doctrine of religious faith you 
please ; you may invent and consecrate as many kinds of sacra- 
ments as you may suppose will answer your sinister purpose ; 
and, if you please, vainly and profanely to fashion the pure wor- 
ship of God after the pompous blandishments of pagan worship, 
have candles burning in open day, and invent any number 
of childish ceremonies, only allow us to remain in the Church, 
and permit us to buy up the labor of the ignorant poor at a 
price below value, and sell it again at exorbitant profits, and we 
will assist you in bringing to condign punishment all who may 
attempt bringing you to any test of reason or Scripture. You 
may, if you please, imitate the conduct of Jeroboam, the son of 
Nebat, who, without authority from God or man, ordained min- 
isters of religion of the lowest of the people ; grant us these priv- 
ileges, and we will clothe you and ourselves in scarlet and fine 
linen ! nay, we will purchase for ourselves and for you, sump- 
tuous carriages, and we will compel the poor silly people to run 
before and cry, " bow the knee !" and if yonr master, the devil, 
is not satisfied with all this, then, in that case, in due time we 
will assist you to build an endowing seminary of learning for 



52 

the education of ministers, and then the work of demoralization 
will be complete, and this fell foe of God and man, may remain in 
his own dark ghastly abode ; then the religion of Jesus Christ, 
which was designed to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the 
glory of the Jewish nation, will b* driven by cruel, bloody perse- 
cution, to hide in the family and in the closet, because the dun- 
geon, the gibbet, or the fagot awaited every honest man who dare 
utter one word against the cruel power of priestcraft. It was in 
this way the pure religion of Jesus Christ was corrupted from 
generation to generation, till, in the name of Christ and Religion, 
a large portion of the human family were governed as with a 
rod of iron, and it is a most painful reflection, that no form or 
system of Christianity has ever succeeded in restoring it to its 
original simplicity, power, and efl&ciency. The Protestant Refor- 
mation was accompanied by the most signal interpositions of Di- 
vine providence, and great reformations were effected, which 
gave hope for a time that thp religion of Jesus Christ would 
again be the happy privileges of the human family. But, most 
unquestionably, every branch of Protestantism retained some of 
the very worst and most dangerous principles of Popery such as, 
1. Paying men money for preaching the gospel. 2. Attaching 
a very improper and dangerous meaning to what I can but call 
ceremonial or church religion. 3. The retention of many of the 
theological, erroneous dogmas of proud, silly schoolmen. 4. Ex- 
cluding from the office of the ministry holy men of God because 
they wanted to preach the Gospel as it is revealed in the Bible, 
and preach it without money, or because they pretended such men 
had not human learning enough ; or, because, forsooth, they had 
not received (what they called) ordination. 5. The removal of 
the government of the church from where the Holy Ghost placed 
it, namely : with the people at large, and cunningly placing it 
in the hands of hireling ministry and a few rich laymen. 6. By ac- 
commodating the religion of Jesus Christ to suit the policy of 



53 

worldly men, in allowing them to remain in church fellowship, 
while they were grow* ig- rich by means of nefarious commerce. 
And so those ministers who were mainly concerned in establish- 
ms: the new order of things under the Protestant form of Christ- 
ianity, (it would appear), were quite unwilling to allow them- 
selves to be guided by the teachings of Christ and his apostles. 
These evil seeds of Popery were permitted to germinate and grow 
till well nigh all that was vital and bore any resemblance to gen- 
uine Christianity was lost in the church, for the Christianity of 
the churches of England and Scotland, as also of the other de- 
nominations in Protestantism, has no more resemblance to the 
religion of the New Testament than a counterfeit dollar contain- 
ing only ten per cent, of silver, is like a genuine coin. 

Quakerism was evidently the result of Divine interposition 
and revelation, and was accompanied by signal instances of re- 
markable events, which proved God^s approbation and love. Every 
impartial person who has carefully read the history of the first 
generations of Quakers, must have been convinced that every 
genuine Quaker possessed an internal, and also an external, cir- 
cumstantial evidence of the truth and Divinity of his religion 
quite as clear and indubitable as the ancient Jews or primitive 
Christians had of theirs. The Quakers are the most practical and 
common sense people in the world ; they have developed the 
wisest maxims in the economy of human life, and they have done 
more than any other people to teach mankind how to live and 
how to die ; they have given the most convincing illustration of 
the fact that, with comparative ease, every working man of ordi- 
nary skill and industry may soon rise into circumstances of com- 
fortable independence ; they, as a people, have done the greatest 
honor to the state of matrimony, and to all the relations of do- 
mestic and social life, and their entire history proves to demon- 
stration that God's special interposing providence is over all 
people who obey and put their trust in Him. And there is one 



54 

debt of gratitude humanity will forever owe them, and that is 
they have given the most indubitable proof how well, how 
prosperous and how happy human society can exist without 
mercenary kings, popes, cardinals and bishops, also without hire- 
ling priests, ministers and pastors of any order, or of any denom- 
ination. Poor, lowly and despised, as they once were, they 
wisely and defiantly rose above the use or necessity of lawyers, 
doctors, politicians or civil rulers. With great despatch they 
became the owners of the land they cultivated, and of the houses 
they lived in ; they were, to a large extent, their own lawyers, 
doctors, and religious pastors; they, virtually, at least, consecrated 
their own religious sacraments, and solemnized matrimony ; they 
visited and prayed with their own sick, and when any one of 
their society needed help — in that case none of them said of the 
things they possessed, that they were their own, but distribution 
was made as every man needed ; they buried their own dead, and 
all prepared momentarily for their final resting place. Who can 
read the early history of the Quakers, and not be convinced that 
Quakerism, in its best and purest state, contained (so far as hu- 
man agency is concerned) the elements of the whole world's con- 
version. But, alas ! how are the mighty fallen, how is the fine 
gold become dim, and the wine mixed with impure water. The 
present generation of Quakers scarcely bear the faintest resem- 
blance in point of Christian simplicity, Godly power and efiiciency, 
to their pious ancestors. The reason of this very extraordinary 
declination may be accounted for upon the following principles : 
The spirit of wisdom and good understanding came upon the 
Quakers in a most remarkable manner ; fools can tamely stoop to 
lick the very dust from the feet of the veriest tyrant, but '^ op- 
pression makes a wise man mad," and being, as they doubtless 
were, goaded to madness and desperation by civil task masters, 
and a vile hireling priestcraft, whopretendedtohave the sanction 
and authority of the Bible for their merceiiary conduct, the Quakers 



55 

allowed themselves to be driven to a most dangerous extreme in re- 
nouncing the use or right of all material sacraments, they were led 
to deny the supreme and absolute authority of the Scriptures, and 
insisted that the impressions and impulses of the mind pertaining 
to matters of faith and practice, in some particulars, were supe- 
rior to the teachings of the Bible. Had they yielded up their 
judgment and will to the divine infallibility of the holy Scriptures, 
they would have learned how improper and how oppressive it 
was to the industrious poor for them to acquire wealth by what 
I can but designate villainous commerce, utterly unconnected 
with honest labor, they would have learned that all that which 
was taken from others, without the return of a full and fair equi- 
valent, had to be most peremptorily restored, they would have 
learned that the wealth they had obtained, even by honest indus- 
try, had to be laid out according to the will of God, in promo- 
ting the Divine Glory, in benefiting and blessing suffering hu- 
manity, they would have learned that for them to acquire wealth 
by exorbitant profits, was in the same proportion to impovish 
virtuous industry. They would have learned that they could 
not serve God and Mammon, — and that the friendship of the 
world was enmity with God. They would have learned that they 
could not get wealth in the way carnal minded avaricious men 
get it, and have at the same time, the gift of the Holy Ghost to bless, 
sanctify, and make them happy — -but they, to a certain extent, 
renounced the teachings of the Scriptures, to follow the dubious 
and mistakeable light of the mind ; the consequence was, that 
when they saw themselves surrounded by society, one part of 
which was imbecile enough to part with the fruit of their hard 
toil without a full and proper equivalent, and the other part 
avariciously and circumventively absorbing wealth without labor- 
ing for it. The Quakers were not slow to embrace the favorable 
opportunity this unnatural state of society presented, and they 
then soon transferred themselves from the ranks of industrious 



56 

working men into those of the concentrators of wealth without 
right. The inevitable consequence was, that Divine spirit, by 
which the Bible was dictated, left them, and the life of God died 
away, and they became like painted sepulchres, fair and beautiful 
without, but within, dead men^s bones and corruption. History 
informs us that in the Olympic games, some of the spectators 
would frequently roll golden balls on the course in order to divert 
the attention and thereby retard the speed of those they did not 
want to win the race. So it was with the Quakers, the wicked 
one rolled the golden ball before their eyes, and he continues, 
even up to this day, to roll the golden ball of ill-gotten wealth be- 
fore them, and, as a people, (Balaam like) they became greedy of 
gain, and loved the reward of unrighteousness, so that at this 
day, though they have a name to live, they are spiritually as dead 
as the inhabitants of the grave ; and for them in their present 
fallen condition, to effect anything in the great work of convert- 
ing the world, would be as impossible as it would be for a 
beautiful silver polished locomotive to run without fire or 
steam. 

The venerable' John Wesley inaugurated a reformation in Christ- 
ianity, which deserves the most conspicuous place in all history for 
seventeen hundred years. By the blessing of God upon his abun- 
dant, well applied labors, he succeeded in rising from the grave 
of death (where blind, bigoted church authority had put it to 
slumber,) pure vital godliness. His views on doctrinal, practi- 
cal, and experimental religion, were more enlightened than those 
of any other man since the days of the apostle Paul ; and his 
system of promoting civilization and happiness, was not sur- 
passed even in the primitive ages of the church. At the time he 
commenced his course of usefulness, a great number of the bish- 
ops, priests, and pastors, in all Christendom, denied that the gift 
of the Holy Ghost was the common privilege of all true Christ- 
i^^.iis. Bat xMr. Wesley prayed, and exerted his followers to pray, 



and God gave him and multitudes of them, that Divine, precious 
gift, to enlighten and renew their minds, and then to qualify them 
for great usefulness in the church. Church authorities, whether 
we speak of national establishments, or dissenting denominations, 
in the blindness of their worldly spirits, presumed to sit; as it 
were, '' in the very place of God," and most foolishly and impi- 
ous ly prescribed rules or standards of their own invention, by 
which to determine who should preach the gospel and be other- 
wise usefully employed in the church. They had the temerity 
to sit in council and determine upon the qualifications requisite 
for a minister ; and like as many proud, silly, doting old gran- 
nies, inquired of the candidates for the ministry, what they knew 
of grammar, languages, mathematics, &c ? But Mr. Wesley, 
(though he knew the great importance and value of human learn- 
ing), was more concerned to know of those he employed in the 
work of the ministry, what is their parentage and character ? how 
much good common-sense do they possess ? what is their natural 
gifts and endowments ? and, more than all these things, his in- 
quiry was, do they love God supremely ? does their religious expe- 
rience raise them above the love of the world ? are they willing 
*^ to spend and to be spent for those who have not yet their 
Saviour known?" will they ^' strive with cries, and groans, and 
tears, to save poor sinners from the gaping grave ?" And, more 
than any other considerations, is there good evidence that they 
are called of God to this high and holy vocation ? These 
in brief, were the kind of men Mr. Wesley sent forth as the 
messengers of the churches ; and the soundness of his judgment 
was abundantly justified, for " the Spirit of the Lord 
God came upon them," and they preached the gospel with 
the Holy Ghost, and fire sent down from Heaven, signs and 
wonders following, and so mightily did the word of the Lord pre- 
vail, that multitudes of all classes, ranks, qualities and conditions 
of men were soundly converted to God, and brought into the 



58 

church, and so great was the moral and religious change which 
was produced, that it may be said, the Ethiopian was made white 
and the leopard changed his spots, so that all impartial men ac- 
knowledged that the hand of God was most clearly manifest in 
this extraordinary revival of religion. 

No less an authority than Dr. Paley, said of Methodism that in 
many of its peculiar characteristics, it bore a striking resem- 
blance to primitive Christianity. Dr. Chalmers designated Meth- 
odism, Christianity in earnest, and said it was God's last and 
best dispensation to man, and that the man who could not be 
saved by it, must be lost forever. Mr. W. contemplated this 
wonderful work of God with amazement, and he, and 
many other eminent Christians, believed the latter day glory was 
just beginning to dawn upon the church, and that the world would 
soon be converted. And with his principles, and with the ener- 
getic, wise and well applied means he brought to bear upon the 
masses of the people, should it not have been the case ? 

But, alas ! how were his pious hopes disappointed, for, long be- 
fore his death, in the deep distress of his sorrowful heart, he made 
the melancholy confession, that that vine which God had so mani- 
festly directed and assisted him in early life to plant, and which 
he thought would take deep root, and send out its branches and 
bear fruit for the healing of all the nations of the earth, had 
brought forth wild grapes and apples of gall and bitterness. " I 
am,'' said he, in his farewell address to his society in Dublin, eighteen 
months before his death, "distressed ; I know not what to do. I 
know now what I ought to have done sixty years ago. I ought 
to have said, here I am, and here is my Bible. All you who re- 
fuse to join me upon the principles revealed in this book, stand 
aloof from me. But the time is gone by, and I cannot do so now 
a^d not pull up the wheat with the tares." 

In defiance of all Mr. W.'s utmost efforts, the economy of Meth- 
odism was so changed and perverted, even before his death, that 



59 

it was no more like original Methodism than the shades of ev.ning 
twilight are like the splendor of noonday brightness, and every 
man whose opinions are entitled to respect will acknowledge that 
from the time of Mr. W.'s death till now, Methodism has continued 
to join in conformity to a vain, ungodly world, and in the same 
})roportion it has lost the life and power of vital Christianity, till 
all rational hope of Methodism in its present condition accomplish- 
ing the benevolent designs of Mr. W. are entirely lost. 

To understand the cause of the manifest decline in Methodism 
it may be well to inquire into the true philosophy of its unexam- 
pled success; and first of all, Methodism was favored with a very 
extraordinary manifestation of the presence and blessing of God; 
in no former epoch or revival of religion was the Divine Spirit so 
copiously and diffusively poured out as it was upon the primitive 
Methodists. For centuries prior to the time of Mr. W.'s public 
life, the rich men and merchant princes of the earth had lent their 
willing assistance to the school men of every succeeding genera- 
tion to turn Jesus Christ out of His own house, (the church,) in 
order that, without interruption, they might pervert and use the 
church for the purpose of accomplishing their worldly schemes of 
pride and aggrandizement. 

If any sensible man was bound to give an answer to the inquiry, 
what have the seminaries of learning been doing ever since they 
were established ? he would be bound in truth and conscience to 
say their main business has ever been to show how sin can be 
compatible with holiness — how God and Mammon may be served 
at the same time — how men may find their way to happiness and 
Heaven, while they are in the way of death and hell. But there 
is a necessary, immutable and eternal law in Christianity, which 
precludes the possibility of men having the favor and love of God 
while the love of earthly things predominate in their minds. The 
characters I speak of refused to repent and receive salvation upon 
the only terms upon which it is offered, and the spirit of God and 



60 

holiness left them; and in their darkness and ignorance they com- 
menced building a tower of their own, the top of which they fancied 
would reach to Heaven, but, after long centuries of vain toil, paid 
dearly for in the blood and marrow of the virtuous poor; they filled 
the church with a spurious Christianity by which the spirit of the 
world and the doctrines and commandments of men were substi- 
tuted for the word and spirit of God Experience and the word 
of God taught Mr. W that ** to obey was better than sacrifice 
and to harken to the voice of the Lord was better than the fat of 
rams f he knew that the most ardent studies, the most extreme 
labors, together with all sacraments or ceremonies, could avail 
nothing in the sight of God. So long as there was the "bleating 
of sheep, and the lowing of oxen" disquiet'g man's moral sensibil- 
ities, on account of the heart and life remaining unsanctified to 
God, he, therefore, in consecrating .jimself to God, performed a 
sine qua non in Christianity, which few school men or rich mer- 
chants ever comply with. The consequencwas naturally, and as 
necessarily, as " the compressed atmosphere rushes through the 
opening crevice to fill a vacuum/' so instantaneously did Jesus 
Christ and the Divine Father, by the power of the Holy Ghost, 
take possession of his heart, and rule and reign- there without a 
rival ; the quenchless flames of burning love to God and man im- 
bued his entire moral and intellectual nature, and he became a 
burning luminary to chase the gloom of hellish night. Hundreds 
and thousands of his followers caught the same holy fire, and all 
combined gave a hopeful promise that the earth should soon be 
filled with the knowledge and glory of God. 

Another cause of the great success in early Methodism^ consist- 
ed in the important fact that it was favored with a very able and 
efficient ministry raised up out of the masses of the people. No 
writers have ever done justice to the character and ability of 
tliose distinguished men who labored in the ministry with Mr. VV. 
daiing the first forty years of Methodistic history, nor is there any 



61 

probability of any doing so until a light minded, silly generation 
shall pass away, who are forever attributing grave importance to 
the circumstance of a man^s ability to pronounce correctly a, h, 
ah, and i, b, ib, in several languages. I give expression to a convic- 
tion matured by reflection and study, when I say that the primi- 
tive Methodist preachers were the ablest and most efficient body 
of ministers ever known in any church through all time. Great 
care was taken in their selection, that they should be men of vir- 
tuous parentage, and that even prior to their conversion they 
should be free from all criminal and scandalous crimes ; they 
were men endowed with superior natural gifts ; they had experi- 
enced sound conversion to God, and hence knew the high estima- 
tion of the human soul and the importance of true religion. They 
were men of faith and the Holy Ghost, and hence their ardent, 
quenchless zeal in the cause of their Divine master. Few of them 
could be regarded as men of learning, many of them had only a 
very imperfect rudimental education, and some of them, prior to 
their conversion, had scarcely any learning at all ; notwithstand- 
ing they soon became men of extensive knowledge and intelli- 
gence — acquired by extensive obs(rvati()n, reading and ardent 
study. They possessed a deep pr!!e!r^H,ie)! into the deep things 
of God, acquired by miich r( .'sding', [irjtycr, holy living, per- 
sonal experience and Divin ■ Hltnn imtinn. Chemistry, mathemat- 
ics, &c., were not cliief S'^irlios wi'ih them, but those greatly 
wrong them who suppose riicy wrvv i,L>'r.orant of science. They 
did not despise on the one hand, or imitate on the other, tiie rules 
of eloquence as taught by men ; but all impartial men acknowl- 
edged that they were the most eloquent men of their own or any 
other age ; it has been said of them that they were linguists with- 
out lexicons, and orators without books. They were called to the 
work of the ministry by the spirit and providence of God, by the 
voice of the people, by the sound judgment of the aged, the wise 
and the good, and by a deep sense of duty and personal re- 



62 

Sponsibility. They were able ministers of the New Testament, 
jDecause they were mighty in the Scriptures ; and they became 
such by earnest, importunate prayer — -by renouncing the love of 
all earthly things and putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, by Divine 
illumination and revelation, by preparing extensively for the pulpit 
in reading, writing, meditating and committing to memory, and 
by long, close, ardent study, by renouncing all dependence on 
human help, and by a believing act of the mind, in which they 
put themselves in connection with, and under the all efficient aid 
of the Holy Spirit of God. They ascended the sacred desk with 
fear and trembling from a sense of the near presence and majesty 
of God, and the sublime solemnity of the work upon which they 
were entering ; their very joints were loosed, and the pulpit in 
which they stood shook as with an earthquake, but they knew 
well where their great strength lay ; and God touched their lips 
as with a live coal from off the Divme altar, and at once they had 
the lips of the learned and the language of the eloquent, and with 
all 1 ! onfidence of a true ancient Hebrew prophet, they could 
say " the spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because He hath 
annoint^id me to preach the gospel f they had the unction of the 
Holy One, andknew all things, and needed not that any man should 
tearli \a^m anything but as the Holy Ghost teacheth ; nor was 
th(^;. 'i)or in vain, for results followed not one whit less extra- 
0] ciiuary than the effect of apostolic preaching. For me to attempt 
describing the character and worth of these men, would be like 
an ignorant plebeian attempting to paint the sun. Nevertheless 
one remark further I must allow myself to make, that is, while 
other ministers were living in pride and luxury, (so much so, that 
their conduct justly merited the commnn adage of that day, *'if 
a man becomes a doctor, let him kill a chicken, if a lawyer, let 
him kill a calf, but if a minister, let him marrj^ a wife,'') the holy 
me it of God, of whom I have spoken, a'lowed themselves to be 
Indoctrinated by such texts of holy writ as those iound in 2d 



■3 

Timothy, ii c. and 8 v., *'Be thou - vir taker of the afflictions of 
the gospel according to the powor oi Tod;'' and again in CoUos- 
sians, i c. and 24 v., " I rejoice in my dufferings for you.fand in 
my flesh fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ for 
His body's sake, which is the church;'' Corinthians, i c. and 5 v., 
*' For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation 
aboundeth in Christ ?" and in 2d Corinthians, ix c. and 10 v., 
'* Most gladly will I rather glory in my impurity, that the power 
of Christ may rest upon me, I therefore take pleasure in infirmi- 
ties, in reproaches, necessities, persecutions, and in distress, for 
Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong ;" and once 
more in speaking of the grand end and design of the poverty and 
suffering of ministers, 2d Corinthians, iv c. 10 v., he says, ** always 
bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, for we 
(apostles and ministers) which live, are always delivered unto 
death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus might be made mani- 
fest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us and life in 
you." It was from a conviction of the indispensable necessity of 
a lowly and afflictive condition in life on the part of ministers, 
which induced the first generation of Methodist preachers to re- 
nounce every earthly prospect, and leave friends, home, family, 
business, fortune, and all that was dear to them, and give them- 
se ves up to a life of celibacy, poverty, labor and great privation, 
in o tier that the Divine glory may be the more manifestly re- 
vealed in the salvation of men. Mr. Wesley soon acknowledged the 
hand of God in this new kind of ministry, and said, '* who am I, 
that I should withstand God ? Let Him do what seemeth Him 
good ;" and his convictions became so confirmed in the utility of 
lay rninistryj that no language could ever induce him after to 
take one step in the direction of establishing seminaries for the 
training of ministers ; and on ono occasion when the archbishop 
of Canterbury had warned all the clergy of the church of England 
to be aware of that notorious John Wesley, who had profaned 



64 

religion by employing mechanics and laborers to preach the gospel ; 
Mr. Wesley^s language, in a letter to the archbishop, was, " while 
you are disputing about the proper line of succession ministe- 
rial qualifications, baptismal regeneration and numerous other 
questions of mere secondary importance, give me twelve men, 
educated or uneducated, who love nothing but God, and fear 
nothing but sin, and we will go through these realms and take 
them as by storm ; meantime, if you can find any laboring in the 
work of the ministry, in connection with me, who do not know 
more of sound Scripture Divinity than nineteen-twentieths of 
our brethren in the ministry of the church of England, I will cast 
them off ; they shall no longer labor with me f and at a time of 
conference, when one of the preachers had been pleading for 
university education for ministers, on the ground that it made men 
refined and genteel, Mr. Wesley, in his reply, remarked that, ^'as 
regards that argument, all those who labor with me in the min- 
istry have as much business to be gentlemen as they have to be 
dancing masters.'^ 

Another element of the extraordinary success of the first 
Methodists consisted in the moral influence which was brought to 
bear upon society on accountof the goodness and benevolence of Mr. 
Wesley and his followers. It has been said that '* genuine Chris- 
tianity always administers largely to the wants of the poor — but 
spurious Christianity takes from the poor to feast and aggran- 
dize the clergy." A worldly-minded, avaricious clergy have 
done more to promote infidelity and profaneness, than all other 
causes combined ; on the other hand, for a church properly to 
provide for the poor, is a more powerful agency in promoting true 
religion, than even the gift or power of working miracles. Mr. 
Wesley knew well that, in order to win men over to embrace the gos- 
pel, means must be used giving effectual proof of love and good 
will, by supplying man's temporal wants. No man ever believed 
in a community of goods and property, more rationally and scrip- 



65 

turally than the founder of Methodism, for his rule was, that none 
Bhould want anything while others possessed enough and to spare ; 
and ill establishing a society, his very first care was to provide 
for a daily and weekly distribution to all who were known to be 
iij iio'Miy circumstances ; and in order to provide for this, his ad- 
vie** to all his followers was, apply yourselves to some proper 
iudiistry to earn all the money you can ; in the next place, adopt 
a fi-ugal economy in living, and save all you can; and in the next 
place, having got and saved all you can, give all you can to re- 
lieve the wants of suffering humanity and to promote the spread 
of true religion No man could ever say with more consistency than 
he could, '' 'Be, ye followers of me, even as I am of Christ,' I 
want you to do as I do ; I preach the gospel and serve the church 
in every way I can, without receiving any man's gold, silver or 
apparel ; I have made large sums of money — in one instance as 
much as £20,000 in one year — but 1 give it all away again, and 
I am as poor at the end of every year as I was the preceding ; 
and I could as soon thi^k of going to Heaven with the sin of mur- 
der or adultery upon my conscience, as I could hope to go there 
after living in the neglect of any one of the three rules of getting 
all, saving all,* and giving all." And to his death he insisted 
that one main cause why the Divine spirit was not more abundant- 
ly poured out was, because the Methodists had folio vfed the ex- 
ample of other churches and shut up the bowels of compassion 
against their poor and needy brethren. 

ho success of the primitive Methodists was the result of their 
pious, well directed labors uniformly employed to promote the 
s:ilvation of men. A pious Presbyterian lady once inquired of 
the celebrated H. Moore the cause of the unexampled progress of 
Meihndisui ; the reply was, ''Madam, we ar.* a working people, 
and we ;ire all at it, and always at it." Up to the time of Mr. 
W., wi'll nigh all the Protestant denominations were following 
one 01 the very worst evils of Popery; in proscribing and holding 



^6 

in silence and inactivity ail the pions talents of the church; how 
ever well qualified any layman might be, if he did not, in the estima 
tion of the church authorities, come up to some mere human stand- 
ard of eligibility, he was not allowed to preach the gospel or take 
any official part in conducting public worship; but Mr. Wesley's ex- 
perience and judgment taught him that the very essential life of 
Christianity consisted in goodness of character being exemplified 
in active benevolence; and that the power of vital goodness could 
no more exist in the mind of a professing Christian without benev- 
olence, than a candle can burn without oxygen or carbon. He 
soon became convinced, moreover, that every true church of 
Jesus Christ contained within itself all the means and talents 
necessary for its own edification and extension ; his first concern, 
therefore, was to develope and then employ all the means and 
agencies of usefulness in his society. He divided three kingdoms 
into circuits, and appointed suitable men to preach the gospel, 
as the Holy Ghost gave them utterance, in every city, town and 
village throughout their respective stations ; by means of these 
holy evangelists, properly so-called, the gospel was brought to the 
very door of well nigh every individual ; and as these holy, dis- 
interested men labored in the strength of the strong hand of Je- 
hovah, multitudes of sinners of every class were brought out of 
the world to join the Methodists ; these, in every place, were di- 
vided into classes of from twelve to twenty members in each — 
one of their number, best qualified to instruct, edify and watch 
over the rest, was styled the leader, who was taught to regard 
himself as an under shepherd, whose business it was to watch 
over his little charge, as he that must give an account of himself, 
to God ; all the members of these class meetings experienced or 
groaned and travailed as in birth, till they did experience the 
indwelling of the Divine Spirit ; to attest in the clearest and 
most indubitable manner their adoption into the favor and family 
of God, they were all joined together in holy covenant, and by 



6T 

tlie ties of Christian affection and love, faithfully to watch over 
and promote each others' best interest. It may truly be said of 
them they dwelled in love, and God dwelled in them, and hence 
they had fellowship one with another, and their fellowship was 
with the Father, and with his son Jesus Christ ; and if there is a 
place on earth where God condescends to meet with and reveal 
Himself to frail human beings, I hesitate not- to say, it was in those 
ancient class meetings. I would be admonished of the sacred 
character of the subject I am speaking of, but it is highly proba- 
ble that the Jewish high priest, when within the holiest of holies, 
standing before the mercy seat, and favored with hearing the 
mysterious Voice speaking from between the cherubims, was not 
so highly favored by the manifestations of tJae Divine presence, 
as these devout worshipers were. It is not within the province 
of the press or pulpit so effectually to initiate believers into all 
the minutia of Christian duty and privilege, as these meetings are 
calculated to do, for that spirit of genuine piety which these class 
meetings inspired, and that pure, social, intimate acquaintance 
all the members had with each other developed every kind of tal- 
ent in every individual member, and then gave those talents 
abundance of suitable employment ; They brought to full view all 
the wants and weaknesses, and then found the means of feeding 
the hungry, clothing the naked, instructing the ignorant, reliev- 
ing the oppressed, elevating the degraded, and saving the lost. 
That most curious of all mechanical inventions, the mathemat- 
ical weaving loom, which consists, it may be, of four thousand 
parts, and comprising every kind of known mechanical motion, 
all moved by one pinion two thousand times a minute, and with 
the exactness of the shade on the sun dial, but this complex ma- 
chine did not so fully answer the designs of its patentee as did 
the entire economy of Methodism realize, and even surpass, the 
most sanguine expectations of its venerable founder, for it brought 
the gospel to the poor and most degraded, and then to all those 



ifl 



who complied with its instructions it brought Christianity to bear 
upon all the faculties and passions, and upon the entire duty of 
man, in all the relations in which he could stand, to his fellow 
creatures and to God. Methodism was a boquet of sweet, beau- 
tiful flowers presented in a vase of burnished gold; those flowers 
were the precious truths and privileges of the gospel peculiar to 
Methodism revived and propagated by Mr. Wesley, but which 
has withered and decayed in every other denomination; the gold- 
en vase, in which the flowers were presented, was the genuine 
Christian benevolence which accompanied Methodism wherever 
it was introduced. The care manifested by Mr. Wesley and 
coadjutors for the welfare of all who joined the Methodists was 
not confined to temporal or spiritual things, but special care was 
taken that suitable books should be put into the hands of all who 
needed them , the result was that a very extraordinary improve- 
ment took place in the character, conduct and circumstances of 
all those who joined Mr. Wesley. This most manifest and gra- 
cious change coming upon the vilest and most degraded, seemed to 
say to all the well disposed, ** Come with us, and we will do you 
good ; for it shall come to pass that whatsoever good the L -rd 
shall do unto us, tbe same good will we do unto you." It was the 
benevolence of Mr. Wesley^s character which gave him such a 
wonderful power and authority over the minds of men, and be- 
cause he was justly regarded as the friend and father of his peo- 
ple ; at his bidding, the whole of his followers obeyed the word 
of the Lord, and went out everywhere, not only into the highways 
and hedges, but into the streets and markets, the lanes, fields and 
alleys, to reprove sin wherever they saw it abound, and by holy 
living, and by well-timed exhortation and counsel, to recommend 
men everywhere to be reconciled to God. It may truly be said 
the pious primitive Methodists rolled up their sleeves, and went 
down into the lowest sinks of human wretchedness, arid elevated 

the m st abandoned into a condition of virtue, honor and hap- 
piness. 



69 

But, alas ! every good thing- in this world contains the seed 
of decay and desolation, and Methodism was not an exception.. 
Th seeds of Methodistic decline will be found in the following 
reflection : The venerable John Wesley was the greatest of all 
reformers, and one of th verybest of men, but taking into account 
the prejudice of education and the gross ignorance of the age in 
which he lived, he must have been more than human, had he kept 
himself free from all mistake and error; he was a man of profound 
knowledge of men and things, and he possessed a deeper and 
more comprehensive penetration into the things of God, than any 
other man of his own time, or since ; nevertheless, there was a 
few things upon which his mind was in need of clearer light, — 
for instance, he possessed no clear, definite comprehension of the 
just and equitable relation in which the industrious classes stood 
to the wealth of the country in which they lived; he believed, in- 
deed, that wealth ought to be much more equally divided, and 
had his mind been enlightened upon the subject, he might havq 
laid down a few simple rules which would have secured to the 
industrious classes the fruit of their own labor, which would have 
ultimated in avoiding the demoralization which is the invariable 
result of the extremes of poverty and wealth ; but he wao as 
dark upon this subject as his holiness, the Pop.' of Rome, or the 
archbishop of Canterbury, or ninety-nine per cent, of all the gen- 
tlemen who have passed througii seminaries of learning; hence, 
all the remedy he had for an evil which had demoralized all soci- 
ety, was to recommend that his followers should do as he himself 
did, namely, get all they could, save all they could, and then give 
all they could, but he might have as well attempted to cure a 
carniverous dog of worrying sheep by feeding him occasionally 
with live blood, as to suppose that men, who obtained wealth by 
extortion, fraud and circumvention, would ever lay it out for any 
other purpose but that of their own pride and aggrandizement. 
He, therefore, left the world very much as he found it, — that was 



70 

like wild animals preying upon and devouring each other. An- 
other subject upon which his mind was in darkness was that 
strange anomaly, ministerial ordination. I know in how much 
mystery the subject of ordination is enveloped, but I know a^so 
that every attentive student of the Scriptures can perceive a rea- 
son, an utility and a necessity connected with every instance of 
ordination and imposition of hands mentioned by the inspired 
writers ; but when we read the Bible upon this subject, and com- 
pare it with Mr. Wesley's own account of its origin in the Meth- 
odist church, we may well say, how is the mighty fallen — ^how is 
the giant in knowledge become as feeble as an infant of days — 
how is profound scholarship confounded by the plainest dictates of 
common sense. Circumstances brought it to the mind of Mr. 
Wesley that some of his brethren in America needed ordination, 
in order, forsooth, to qualify to administer the sacrements, but he 
could not prevail upon the bishops to consecrate by imposition of 
their sacredotal hands, and to relieve himself of this difficulty, 
strange to say, the man of one book, the very man who, of all 
others, would not allow himself to be diverted one hair's breadth 
from the Bible, was led to believe, from reading Lord King on the 
discipline of the primitive church, that he himself was an elder 
and a presbyter, and as such, had as much right and authority to 
ordain as any man on earth — wonderful discovery, indeed ! why, 
every general reader ought to know that while Lord King devel- 
oped much learned ignorance about the Greek church in its fallen 
condition, that he was as ignorant of the discipline of the 
primitive church generally, and of ordination and the mode of 
administering the sacraments of the Lord's supper in particular, 
as the most unlearned ; nevertheless, Lord King's book was 
mainly instrumental in leading Mr. Wesley to adopt this learned 
ecclesiastic farce, which may well be designated a turni)iko 
studded with numerous gates which easily open to pas^ int" the 
ministry the unworthy and the worthless, but vviiich rf(jkh>i;i 



11 

opened to admit faithful men of God. Nevertheless Mr. Wesley, 
assisted by a few other ministers, ordained brother T. Coke, and 
sent him to ordain Asbury and others in America. I cannot 
assert how far the mind and judgment of Mr. Asbury assented to 
this novel idea in Methodism, but this much is really clear, that 
he was the very man, of all others, who strangled and nullified the 
utility and Divine authority of this new kind of ordination from 
the first. Mr. Asbury was a sound Bible scholar, and a faithful 
servant of God ; he knew well that all the learned parade about 
the antiquity of the institution was only a rope of spiders^ webs 
and sand, which crumbled like dust the moment it was touched ; 
he also knew from the Bible that if there was any Divinity con- 
nected with this new fangled notion, he had a right to expect that 
some change and improvement would pass upon him, or that some 
gift or endowment would be imparted, in some sense analogous, 
to the high sounding language used by the person ordaining. 
But, alas I he tells us he felt no difierence,— he was, in all respects, 
the same as he was before. God had given him authority to 
preach the gospel, and surely to perform every ministerial func- 
tion, and he needed not the imposition of the hands of any inspired 
man. Another mistake the founder of Methodism made consists 
in the kind of church government he adopted for the control and 
guidance of his followers. As frequently intimated in this pam- 
phlet, the government of the primitive church was a theocracy, 
aristocracy and democracy, but Mr. Wesley, (as every candid 
person must admit,) from the purest motives, left out of his prin- 
ciples of church government everything of a democratic character 
and adopted a bad kind of absolute form of government, rendered 
all the more dangerous because conducted in private. If all men, 
or even men in general, were as good and benevolent as Mr. 
Wesley, no kind of government could scarcely be wrong or im- 
proper, but, the fact is, very few men have proved themselves 
worthy of that unlimited confidence which would be needed to 
make men yield the control of all civil and religious aJBfairs to any 



72 

select few who may attempt to exclude from their presence those 
whose interest was involved in their course of action. 

Ministers have been declined in the following manner : Good 
ministers have been compared to a sensible woman who, in order 
to make good bread, used good flour. Ministers of a nominal 
character, without the converting grace of God, are like a wo- 
man who would attempt to make good bread out of flour mixed 
with saw-dust. Immoral ministers are like a woman who would 
propose to make good bread of flour mixed with arsenic. If any 
man on earth ever deserves to be classified with good ministers 
it was John Wesley ; but, strange to say, he made the mistake of 
taking the flour and making it up in private. It is true, Mr. Wesley 
was infinitly above all low, sordid motives, in this as well as in 
every other instance of a long, eventful life, but his knowledge 
of the history of mankind ought to have admonished him that 
church affairs conducted in private, were, under all circum- 
stances, liable to great abuse. How far the several Methodist con- 
ferences can be chargeable with mixing saw-dust with the flour 
will best be determined when the reader calls to mind that the 
Methodist church in America, at least, is now governed by bish- 
ops, traveling elders, and dear pastors; in leaders' meetings and 
quarterly conferences, and yearly and general conferences. In 
each of these several conferences and leaders' meetings, the voice 
of the people is virtually and for all valuable purposes most ef- 
fectually excluded. " Tell it not in Gath nor publish it in the 
streets of Askelon," the Methodists have got those offences to 
God and enemies of religion called universities and seminaries 
for the training of men for the ministry. As a natural conse- 
quence, their pulpits are largely supplied by the young, the in- 
experienced, and incompetent, and the people are fed with stray 
mixture of chaff and sawdust, the poison of asps and the apples 
of Sodom. In seventy years the wages of some of the pastors 
has been increased six to seven hundred per cent, while in some 



13 

instances, good, pious men have scarcely enough to sustain them- 
selves and families in respect and comfort — rich men are set 
up and honored while the poor are neglected, despised, and 
forsaken — class meetings are very seldom attended. Godliness, 
it is to be feared, is greatly on the decline with all these and 
many other not mentioned unfavorable symtoms ; the economy of 
religion as promulgated by Mr. Wesley, and the first genera- 
tion of the Methodists has continued to this day to produce its 
salutary effects, and on account of this there still remains as 
much and probably more of the life and power of Godliness among 
the Methodists than among any other people now on earth. Yet 
what I call conference Methodism is destroying all the life and 
power of godliness and fast reducing the most extraordinary and 
most effective work of God to a mere level with other Protestant 
denominations. 

Numbers have their apprehensions alarmed that all is not go- 
ing on right, and they are asking delegations to conferences, of 
course to witness for themselves how far this business of mixing 
saw-dust with the flour, is carried on. 

It would appear from this brief exposition of the tendency of 
every religous system to retrograde and fall into corruption and 
demoralization, that every good man should use his best efforts 
to reform and model the church upon the following principles, 
namely : 

1. The law, justice, truth, simplicity, patriotism, and disinter- 
estedness of Moses the man of God. 

2. The doctrine of the free sovereign grace of God in Christ 
Jesus to justify and save all true believers, agreeable to the best 
school of the Presbyterians and tho writings of the Apostle Paul. 

3. The efficiency of Divine grace to save to the utmost, even 
in this life, as taught by Wesley, Fletcher, and the uniform 
teachings of the inspired writers. 

4. Initiation into the cliurch by immersion in water on a con- 



74 

fession of faith, in accordance with the practice of the Baptist 
denomination, and the evident teachings of the Bible, and the 
usages of the primitive church. 

5. The means of spreading and promoting religion used by 
Wesley and the two first generations of the Methodists. 

6. The pure theoretic, aristocratic, and democratic form of 
church government, adopted by the pious Quakers with their 
mutual love foi, and tender, watchful care over each other, so 
entirely in unison with -all the teachings of Christ. 

1. A lay gospel ministry of a promiscuous character, to consist 
of men and women, young and old, rich and poor, learned and 
illiterate, even whomsoever the spirit and providence of God, and 
the voice of intelligent piety should call into the ministry, and 
who were willing to preach the gospel purely from a principle of 
love to the gospel and the souls of men, and without fee and re- 
ward, after the example of the Waldenses, the Quakers, the early 
Methodists, and in conformity to the teachings and example of 
Christ and the first ministers of religion. When the church shall 
be established upon these principles, " Zion will put on her beau- 
tiful garment of holiness and get upon the tops of the mountains 
and cry to the cities of Judea, ^ behold your God 1' '^ Christianity 
will then take the wings of the morning and fly to the uttermost 
parts of the earth. 



CHAPTER XI. 

1. Every working man should make it his constant study to 
direct his course of action so that all men should be induced 
either by choice or necessity, to apply themselves to honest phy- 
sical labor, and nothing can accomplish this so efi'ectually as to 



t5 

come to a fixed resolution, " never to work for another man," this 
simple rule if it were uniformly acted upon, would most inevita- 
bly compel every man to do his share of labor. It may be you 
may want assistance in the execution of some undertaking you 
cannot perform alone, in that case ask yourself what is the real 
value of a man's labor to you ; when the profits of your undertak- 
ing is properly estimated, ask yourself how much will enable him 
to live in comfort, and to assist him in purchasing that which 
God in his providence, doubtless designs for every family — a 
dwelling house and a parcel of ground. Ask yourself how much 
you would like to receive, if your services were wanted by your 
neighbor ? put these three questions to yourself whenever you 
employ men, and you will know what will be an equivalent for 
labor, and what you ought to receive when you work for others. 
Upon these principles only, can it be said, a man works for himself. 

2. Learn to become merchants and know how to buy and sell, 
and train up your children from early life to do so. Never allow 
your daughter to go servant, even to the richest families. The 
practice of servitude originated with captives taken in war, and 
with persons so degraded that they had lost caste in society. 
Servitude of this kind is unnatural and a great hardship — and, 
to every honorable mind, a great humiliation, — it unduly degrades 
those who serve, and vainly exalts those who are served. Eich 
people will not allow their daughters to become servants, and 
surely the virtuous poor should not do so. For a mother and her 
daughter, (however rich,) to perform their own domestic duties is 
true nobility and real happiness. If any be sick or from any 
other circumstance need your assistance, go and serve them upon 
such terms as you are willing that they should serve you when 
similarly situated. 

3. Never allow your children to work in any factory, unless 
it is some small establishment, where the families of the propri- 
etors are regularly employed, and where wa^es arerei^uiuu <i by 



profits. Take your children and gather wild fruits, roots and 
herbs, but never send them to a common factory. I do not stop 
to reply to the silly objection such as, " What would become of 
the manufactoring and commercial interest, if this advice were 
acted upon?" The degradation which large manufacturing estab- 
lishments have produced, is a sufficient reason for every civilized 
government throughout the world, to put a veto upon such estab- 
lishments forever. 

4. Never ma.nufacture or deal in any kind of articles which you 
have good reason to believe would be injurious to your fellow man 

5. Avoid as much as possible, dealing with very large manu 
facturing and business establishments; prefer dealing with smaU 
concerns mainly carried on by the industrious. 

6. Avoid the company of atheists, infidels, tricksters, gamblers, 
theatricals, and all venders of strong drinks, and all scheming 
idlers living without labor. 

CHAPTER XII. 

I do not know what the opinion of the reader may be relative 
to the counsels given in the preceding pages, but I firmly believe 
they contain more valuable suggestions bearing upon the best 
mode of the working man improving his circumstances and 
condition in life, than can be found in any other human author 
Every man who will reduce to practice the few simple rules 
herein laid down, will soon find himself greatly improved in 
mind, body and estate ; yet if I did not add one word ; all I 
have said would only be of trivial importance. In conclusion, I 
therefore, of this well-intended effort to promote the well being 
and happiness of men, I earnestly exhort every industrious 
working man to strive, by the assistance of Divine wisdom and 
grace, to glorify God in all they think, speak or do. The assem 
bly of "Westminster divines'' have wisely said that the "diief 
^nd of man is to glorify God, and enjoy Him in time and foreT 



7T 

er/^ But what is it to glorify and enjoy God ? This is a ques- 
tion no unregenerate mind can comprehend, and therefore can- 
not explain, '^ For there is a path which no fowl knoweth, and 
which the vulture's eye hath not seen ; the lion's whelps have 
not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it." Job 28c. 7 and 8v. 
Human knowledge can not throw one ray of light upon the sub- 
ject : a man may be thoroughly skilled in mathematics, philoso- 
phy, history, language, science, and all learning, but the mind 
remains as dark as the mole or bat, upon this sublime subject, 
*^ for the natural man cannot know the things pertaining to the 
spirit of God, for what man can know the things of a man save 
the spirit of a man within him, even so the things of God know- 
eth no man but by the spirit of God." I might quote a large 
portion of the Bible, to show that it is not in the power of any 
man to answer the end of his being, until he personally experi- 
ences what the inspired writers variously designate "repent- 
ance," "conversion," "justification," " being born again," "re- 
generated," " created anew, after the Divine image, in righteous- 
ness and true holiness." If we carefully contemplate every 
object in created existence, animate or inanimate, every thing 
is found to glorify God according to the mode of its being and 
its peculiar instincts, because in the eye of reason they all set 
forth and proclaim the being, power, wisdom, and goodness of 
God. Man, especially in his state of primitive innocence, was 
such an amazing exemplification of the glorious being and per- 
fection of his Creator that the morning stars sang together, and 
the sons of God shouted for joy. But man, of all created beings, 
in consequence of disobedience, fell from that exalted condition 
in which he was created, and such was the nature and result of 
that disobedience, that he immediately lost the knowledge and 
moral image of God in which he was created, and in the posses- 
sion of which he was induced to adore, love, serve and glorify 



IS 

God every moment, and to the utmost extent of those perfect 
faculties his Creator has endowed him with ; but sin marred this 
most perfect workmanship of the Divine fingers, and effaced the 
moral image of God from the soul, enshrined man's intellectual 
faculties in gross darkness, vitiated and polluted his entire na- 
ture, and blighted his every hope and prospect. But when a 
man experiences the regenerating power of Divine grace, he re- 
ceives in himself all that for which Jesus Christ lived, died and 
rose again to accomplish, and he feels in his inmost soul created 
anew to good works to praise and glorify God. I cannot ex- 
plain to the unconverted, what a man feels when this work of 
regeneration is effected, for we cannot explain the peculiar mel- 
ody of the morning lark to a man who had only read that bird's 
natural history, but the moment he is brought within the sound 
of the sweet melody of that songster of the heavens, he knows 
in a moment, that is the morning lark ; we could not explain to 
a mere reader the inimitable fragrance of the April violet, but 
the moment such an one sees that flower and inhales its fra- 
grance, he says at once, this is the April violet. Maternal love 
may be lectured upon for years, but none but the mother can 
understand what it is. 

A man who had only read of gold, could form very inadequate 
conception of that precious metal, but as soon as it was submit- 
ted to his investigation, he would be able to distinguish it from 
every other commodity ; so it is with the individual who receives 
a revelation of God's mercy in Christ Jesus to convert his soul , 
he is ready to say like Pythagoras, '' I have found, I have found 
it." Philip, when he found Jesus, knew it was He of whom 
Moses in the law and the prophets wrote and spoke ; the 
Samaritans said " now we believe, not for thy saying, but be- 
cause we have seen Him, and now know for ourselves that this 
is the Giirist" And this personal certainty is still made more so 



t9 

by experience; f* r instance, there are three distinctive necessities 
peculiar to humanity — a desire of virtue, fear of death, and a 
dread of annihilation — but when the soul experiences regenera- 
tio , there is an immediate consciousness of virtue, for the love of 
God (in which is included love to man) is shed abroad in the 
heart by the Holy Ghost given ui^to him. The fear of death is 
removed, and the soul can rest with confidence upon the word, " he 
that believeth in me shall never die.'' Furthermore, when this 
change is wrought, condemnation, the result of guilt, is removed 
from the mind, and the soul is filled with inward peace and joy in 
believing ; those sordid affections which bound the heart to the 
world and sin, are now placed upon holiness. Heaven and God, 
and the entire moral, intellectual and sensitive nature of man in 
that day cries out — "oh! Lord, I will praise thee, for though thou 
wast angry with me, thine anger has been turned away and be- 
hold thou comfortest me'' — resting exclusively in the atoning mer- 
its of that sacrifice made by Jesus Christ for the sins of the world, 
the spirit of God witnesses and attests his adoption into the di- 
vine favor and family, and he cries out " my soul doth magnify 
the Lord and my spirit rejoices in the God of my salvation. The 
spontaneous effusion of the newly converted soul consists in ar- 
dent desires for all men to taste and see how good the Lord is ; 
and he breaks out — 

^^ What shall I do to make it known 
What Christ for all mankind hath done. 

Oh ! for a trumpet voice on all the world to call. 
To bid their hearts rejoice in him who died for all." 

Then, and never till then, can any human being under- 
stand what it is to honor and glorify God. It is to the regener- 
ate the Apostle says, '^ ye are a chosen generation, a royal priest- 
hood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should shew forth 
the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness unto 
his marvellous light." (1 Pet. 2 and 9 v.) When a man of re- 



80 

fined tastes and sensibilities becomes acquainted with some very 
choice production in the fine arts, a desire is excilpsd that others 

may come and see and participate in the exquisite pleasure 
When a good man is presented with some mechanical invention 
of great utility, the natural desire is that the praises due to the 
beneficent inventor should be difiused far and wide, that all may 
wonder and admire ; when a sick dying man has been restored 
to health by means of extraordinary skill of a physician, he makes 
it a constant duty to be extolling the wisdom of the author 
of his cure, that the physician may receive all the credit 
due to him, and that others may come and receive a like benefit. 
So, when the true penitent believer experiences redemption in 
the blood of Christ, even the forgivness of his sins through the 
infinite mercy of God, he is ready to exclaim to all around, " oh 
come and bless the Lord with me, and let us extol his name to- 
gether." Then it becomes the main business of his life to glorify 
God in his body, by using all proper means to keep it in health 
and longevity, and in adorning it in meekness and gravity as be- 
comes godliness, by keeping it in purity, cleanliness and chastity, 
even as the Temple of the Holy Ghost, and a servant, not a 
slave to the moral and intellectual nature. The regenerate man 
glorifies God in his mind and spirit by controlling and keeping 
in due and proper subordination all his passions and appetites, 
and in exemplifying the grace and virtues of meekness, patience, 
gentleness, goodness and cheerful resignation in all things to the 
will of God. Such a man glorifies God when his entire character 
and conduct is such as is calculated to lead others to a knowledge 
and enjoyment of God. 

Eveyy«s«Qh man, in the nature of the case, is a blessed and hap- 
py no^r^^i^^l^kanswers the end of his being on earth, and more- 
oveLjiafii^ chc^^ul hope of everlasting life in Heaven. 



81 



INDEX. 



Introduction, , Page 1 

Chapter I. 
Some of the Causes of the Demoralization of Society, . . i 6 

Chapter II. 
The Oppressed Condition of Honest Industry, . • • • 18 

Chapter III. 
Genuine Piety the best means of Relief, ... . , 21 

Chapter IV. 
Benevolence an important element in the Prosperity and Happiness 

of Man, . . . ' 23 

Chapter Y. 
The Improvement of the Physical, Moral and Mental Faculties indis- 
pensably necessary to the Elevation of Man, . • 26 

Chapter VI. 
Every Man should learn some Industrial Profession, • • • 29 

Chapter VII. 
Every Man should learn to be a Good Merchant, , .32 

Chapter IX. 
Every Man should improve all his leisure time for purposes o Per- 
sonal Improvement, ... . . . 39 

Chapter X. 
Every Man should become a Member of some Professing Church, , 44 

Chapter XL 
Some General Counsels to the Industrious, , ... 74 

Chapter XII. 
EviTv Man should strive to answer the only real end of his being in 

glorifying God, 76 



P , «2 ■ 



\ 



V 



ERRATA. 



Page 3, second line from top, read, which religion the Holy Ghost, &c. 
*' 39, third line from top read, when by doing so, &c. 
" 47, third line from top read, ruined worlds, &c. 
" 63, fifth line from bottom read, a lay ministry, &c. 



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